THE  SINKING  OF  THE 
"MERRIMAC" 


RICHMOND    PEARSON    HOBSON, 

NAVAL    CONSTRUCTOR,    U.  S.  N. 


THE  SINKING  OF  THE 
"MERRIMAC" 


A  PERSONAL  NARRATIVE 

OF  THE  ADVENTURE  IN  THE  HARBOR  OF  SANTIAGO  DE  CUBA,  JUNE  3, 
AND  OF  THE  SUBSEQUENT  IMPRISONMENT  OF  THE  SURVIVORS 


BY 

RICHMOND  PEARSON  HOBSON 

NAVAL  CONSTRUCTOR,  U.  S.  N. 


NEW  YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 

1899 


Copyright,  1898,  1899,  by 
THE  CENTURY  Co. 


THE  DEVINNE  PRESS 


TO 
EEAE-ADMIEAL 

WILLIAM  T.  SAMPSON 

U.  S.  N. 


395363 


CONTENTS 

PART  I 

THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

PAGE 

A  suggestion  from  San  Juan— "Unsinkables  "  for  Havana- 
Admiral  Sampson  announces  his  purpose— The  plan  of 
feigning  a  chase;  why  discarded— The  plan  of  stealing  in 
adopted— Two  methods  of  sinking  the  collier— The  tor 
pedoes—Arrangement  of  the  torpedoes— The  firing  of  the 
torpedoes— The  general  plan  of  the  manoeuver— Other 
details— Arrival  at  Santiago  and  reconnoitering— Inspect 
ing  the  M errimac— Hundreds  of  volunteers— Chaos  on  the 
Merrimac— Trouble  with  anchors  and  chains— Final  prep 
arations  under  difficulties— The  Merrimac' s  flag— Trial  trip 
and  inspection— The  first  attempt:  off  at  last— The  recall 
and  postponement 1 

PART  II 

THE   RUN  IN 

Disappointment  at  the  recall— A  day  of  waiting— The  plan 
of  going  in  at  sunset— Two  elements  of  weakness— Mul 
len's  pluck— Kindness  of  officers— Good-by  to  the  flagship 
—The  look  of  things— Rehearsing  the  work  — Clausen  not 
a  stowaway— Precautions  for  rescue— The  last  meal  on 
the  Merrimac  and  final  preparations— Making  for  the  en 
trance—The  firing  begins— Loss  of  the  steering-gear— 

vii 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Trouble  with  the  torpedoes— A  crisis  off  Estrella  Point— 
Kelly's  narrow  escape— Beginning  to  sink— Conversation 
on  deck— A  focus  of  fire— The  final  plunge— In  the  vor 
tex—Clinging  to  the  catamaran— Admiral  Cervera  to  the 
rescue  .  63 


PART   III 

IMPRISONMENT  IN  MOERO   CASTLE 

Generous  reception  on  the  Mercedes— A.  surprise  for  the 
Spanish  officers— How  the  news  of  the  crew's  safety  came 
to  be  sent  to  Admiral  Sampson— Reflections  on  the  result 
of  the  manoeuver— Removal  to  the  Morro— Courtesies 
from  Admiral  Cervera— In  the  cell  of  the  Morro— Captain 
Bustamante's  kindness— "Every  man  would  do  it  again 
to-night,  sir  "  —  Comforts  from  the  British  consul— Aston 
ishing  report  of  casualties  in  the  Merrimac  affair— Why 
the  manoeuver  failed— A  fancy  of  what  might  have  hap 
pened—Our  rations— Spanish  and  American  soldiers  com 
pared—More  courtesies— A  reconnaissance  from  the  cell 
window— A  midnight  intruder— A  question  of  humanity 
—  Supplies  from  the  fleet— An  official  inquiry— Thoughts 
of  escape— Under  fire  from  the  American  fleet— Inventing 
a  plan  of  attack— After  the  bombardment 124 

PART  IV 

PRISON  LIFE  IN  SANTIAGO  AND  OBSERVATIONS 
OF  THE  SIEGE 

The  tramp  from  the  Morro  to  Santiago— The  new  prison— 
The  writer's  comfortable  quarters— A  visit  from  the  British 
consul— Sad  news  of  Acosta— First  tidings  from  home— 

viii 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  first  meal  in  the  new  quarters— A  bit  of  child  life— 
The  first  night— Protests  against  the  treatment  of  the  crew 
—Boxing-gloves  and  reading-matter— Plans  for  escape— 
Despair  of  being  exchanged— The  Spanish  soldier  and  his 
horse— Brutality  to  dogs— Studying  the  military  situation 

—  The  question  of  health— Nature  from  a  prison  window 

—  The  British  consul's  attentions— His  noble  character— 
First  sight  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes— Two  ruses— The  bat 
tles  of  July  1  (El  Caney  and  San  Juan)— Notes  of  the 
fighting  of  July  2— July  3 :  hearing  the  guns  of  the  fleets 
—July  4:  non-combatants  leaving— A  bold  request— Ex 
change  at  last— A  lamented  enemy— Good-bys— A  singu 
lar  cavalcade— Through  the  lines— Back  to  the  flagship  .  211 


IX 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


RICHMOND    PEARSON  HOBSON,  NAVAL    CON-  £       Frontis  iece 
STRUCTOR,  U.  S.  N S 

From  a  photograph  by  Rockwood. 

PAGE 

REAR-ADMIRAL  WILLIAM  T.  SAMPSON,  U.  S.  N 5 

SHAPE  OF  THE  TORPEDOES  USED  TO  SINK  THE  "  MERRI- 

MAC" 8 

MAP  OF  THE  ENTRANCE  TO  SANTIAGO  HARBOR  ....  11 
PLAN  AND  ELEVATION  OF  THE  "MERRIMAC,"  SHOWING 

ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE  TORPEDOES,  ON  THE  PORT  SIDE  14 
DIAGRAM  SHOWING  THE  ATTACHMENT  OF  THE  TORPEDOES 

TO  THE  BELT-LINE  AND  THE  HOGGING-LINE  ....  16 
TRANSVERSE  SECTION  OF  THE  "MERRIMAC,"  SHOWING 

POSITION  OF  THE  BELT-LINE  HOLDING  THE  TORPEDOES 

AND  OF  THE  HOGGING-LlNE 18 

SECTIONAL  DRAWING  OF  A  TORPEDO 20 

PLAN  OF  THE  MANCEUVER  AS  PROJECTED 23 

MORRO  CASTLE,  SANTIAGO 25 

ADMIRAL  SAMPSON,  COMMODORE  SCHLEY,  AND  MR.  HOBSON 

INSPECTING  THE  SANTIAGO  ENTRANCE  FROM  THE  DECK 

OF  THE  "  NEW  YORK  " 29 

MR.  HOBSON  RECONNOITERING  THE  HARBOR  ENTRANCE  33 
ASSISTANT-ENGINEER  ROBERT  K.  CRANK 37 

From  a  photograph  by  F.  Gutekunst. 

xi 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

THE  "MERRIMAC"  AS  A  COLLIER  AMONG  THE  FLEET     .  41 

HAULING  THE  ANCHOR-CHAIN  TO  THE  STERN    ....  47 

THE  GOOD-BY  TO  ADMIRAL  SAMPSON 59 

THE  MEMBERS  OF  MR.  HOBSON'S  CREW 65 

ENSIGN  JOSEPH  WRIGHT  POWELL 77 

From  a  photograph  by  M.  M.  Casler. 

THE  LAST  MEAL  BEFORE  ENTERING 85 

PLAN  OF  THE  MANCEUVER  AS  EXECUTED  JUNE  3, 1898  .  89 

CHALLENGING  KELLY 99 

THE  "MERRIMAC"  AGROUND  AND  UNDER  FIRE  OFF  Es- 

TRELLA  POINT 105 

ON  THE  DECK  OF  THE  "MERRIMAC" 109 

THE  SINKING  OF  THE  "MERRIMAC" 113 

SPANIARDS  SEARCHING  FOR  THE  CREW  WITH  LANTERNS  .  117 

THE  RESCUE  BY  ADMIRAL  CERVERA .    .  121 

CONTRAALMIRANTE   PASCUAL   CERVERA  Y  TOPETE    .      .      .  125 

CAPTAIN  DON  EMILIO  J.  DE  ACOSTA     .......  129 

THE  "  REINA  MERCEDES,"  SUNK  JULY  4, 1898,  AND  MORRO 

CASTLE  FROM  THE  WEST 133 

REDUCED  FACSIMILE  OF  THE  FIRST  DRAFT  OF  THE  DES 
PATCH  TO  ADMIRAL  SAMPSON 137 

THE  AMERICAN  PRISONERS  LEAVING  THE  "REINA  MER 
CEDES"      141 

MOUNTING  TO  THE  MORRO 145 

ADMIRAL  CERVERA  VISITING  MR.  HOBSON  IN  THE  GUARD 
ROOM  AT  MORRO  CASTLE 149 

MR.  HOBSON'S  CELL  IN  MORRO  CASTLE 153 

VIEW  INSIDE  MORRO  CASTLE,  FROM  THE  STAIRS  MOUNT 
ING  TO  MR.  HOBSON'S  CELL 157 

MORRO  CASTLE,  FROM  THE  SOCAPA  SIDE 161 

xii 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

STEAM-LAUNCH  OF  THE  "NEW  YORK"  BRINGING  CAPTAIN 
BUSTAMANTE  TO  THE  FLAGSHIP  WITH  A  FLAG  OF 
TRUCE,  AND  NEWS  OF  THE  SAFETY  OF  THE  "MER- 

RIMAC"  PRISONERS 165 

OUTER  PORTCULLIS,  MORRO  CASTLE 169 

SANTIAGO  CHANNEL  FROM  THE  TOP  OF  MORRO  CASTLE  .    175 
PLAN  OF  MR.  HOBSON'S  CELL  IN  MORRO  CASTLE    ...    181 
BATTERY  TO  THE  EASTWARD  OF  MORRO  CASTLE,  INCLUD 
ING  OLD  GUNS  (1748-54) 187 

MORTARS  ON  TOP  OF  MORRO 191 

MR.  HOBSON  LOOKING  OUT  OF  THE  CELL  WINDOW  DUR 
ING  THE  BOMBARDMENT 195 

MORRO  CASTLE  FROM  THE  SOUTHWEST 199 

PUNTA  GORDA,  LOOKING  UP  THE  CHANNEL,  SHOWING 
EARTHWORK  ON  THE  CLIFF 203 

BARBED- WIRE  ENTANGLEMENT  NEAR  THE  MORRO  .     .    .  207 

VIEW  NEAR  MORRO  CASTLE,  LOOKING  TOWARD  SANTIAGO  213 

FIRST  VIEW  OF  SANTIAGO  FROM  THE  MORRO  TRAIL    .  217 

MR.  HOBSON'S  ARRIVAL  AT  HIS  ROOM  IN  THE  CUARTEL  223 

ENTRANCE  TO  THE  CUARTEL  REINA  MERCEDES,  SAN 
TIAGO,  WHERE  THE  "  MERRIMAC "  PRISONERS  WERE 

CONFINED 231 

PLAN  OF  THE  QUARTERS  IN  THE  CUARTEL  REINA  MER 
CEDES  237 

ENTRANCE  TO  THE  CELL  OF  THE  CREW,  FROM  THE 
COURTYARD 239 

MEMBERS  OF  THE  "MERRIMAC"  CREW  BOXING  IN  THE 
COURTYARD  OF  THE  CUARTEL  IN  FRONT  OF  SANTIAGO  241 

THE  LATE  FREDERICK  W.  RAMSDEN,  BRITISH  CONSUL 
AT  SANTIAGO 257 

VIEW  FROM  THE  ROOF  OF  THE  CUARTEL  REINA  MERCEDES    268 

xiii 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

VIEW  FROM  THE  WINDOW  OF  MR.  HOBSON'S  CELL  IN 
THE  CUARTEL  REINA  MERCEDES 269 

MAP  OF  SANTIAGO,  SHOWING  POSITIONS  OF  TROOPS  ON 
THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  THE  SIEGE,  APPROXIMATELY  COR 
RECT  FOR  JUNE  6 283 

THE  "  MERRIMAC  "  PRISONERS  LEAVING  THE  CUARTEL  TO 
BE  EXCHANGED,  JULY  6 293 

THE  SURRENDER-TREE,  FROM  THE  SPANISH  LINES.  SAN 
JUAN  HILL  IN  THE  DISTANCE 297 

RECEPTION  OF  MR.  HOBSON  AND  THE  CREW  OF  THE 
"MERRIMAC"  BY  AMERICAN  SOLDIERS  IN  FRONT  OF 
SANTIAGO  .  301 


xiv 


THE   SINKING  OF   THE  "MEKRIMAC" 


THE  SINKING  OF  THE  "MERKIMAC" 


PART  I 
THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

A.  suggestion  from  San  Juan— "Unsinkables"  for  Havana — 
Admiral  Sampson  announces  his  purpose— The  plan  of  feign 
ing  a  chase ;  why  discarded— The  plan  of  stealing  in  adopted 
—Two  methods  of  sinking  the  collier—  The  torpedoes— Ar 
rangement  of  the  torpedoes— The  firing  of  the  torpedoes— 
The  general  plan  of  the  manoauver— Other  details— Arrival 
at  Santiago  and  reconnoitering— Inspecting  the  Merrimac— 
Hundreds  of  volunteers— Chaos  on  the  Merrimac— Trouble 
with  anchors  and  chains— Final  preparations  under  difficul 
ties—The  Mammae's  flag— Trial  trip  and  inspection— The  first 
attempt ;  off  at  last— The  recall  and  postponement. 

ON  May  29,  1898,  Admiral  Sampson's  flagship, 
the  New  York,  lay  at  Key  West,  outside  the  reef, 
hurriedly  coaling  from  lighters  on  both  sides.     The 
Oregon,  just  arrived  after  her  notable  voyage  around 
Cape  Horn,  lay  near  at  hand,  coaling  with  equal 
1  1 


,  THE  SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

despatch.  It  was  evident  to  all  that  an  urgent  pur 
pose  and  a  definite  objective  were  in  mind. 

A  few  days  before,  the  flagship  had  suddenly  left 
the  squadron  patrolling  along  the  mouths  of  the 
channels  of  the  Bahamas,  and  had  run  full  speed  to 
Key  West.  Despatches  had  come  on  board  giving 
information  that  the  Spanish  fleet,  under  Admiral 
Cervera,  had  put  into  Santiago  harbor ;  but  evi 
dently  Admiral  Sampson's  anxiety  was  not  relieved, 
for  he  left  the  squadron  under  Commodore  Watson 
to  guard  the  approaches  to  Havana,  despatched  the 
New  Orleans  to  Commodore  Schley  on  the  south  of 
Cuba,  and  went  post-haste  to  the  nearest  coaling- 
station,  taking  his  flagship  alone. 

The  admiral's  purpose  was  not  known  to  me,  but 
the  circumstances  of  the  coaling  showed  clearly  that 
distant  service  was  in  view.  I  deemed  it  proper, 
before  leaving  for  such  service,  to  make  known  to 
him  certain  features  of  a  plan  relating  to  the  pro 
spective  reduction  of  Havana,  the  details  of  which, 
if  it  should  be  adopted,  would  require  early  atten 
tion;  and  it  was  while  I  was  making  this  report 
that  the  admiral  first  proposed  to  me  his  scheme  of 
sinking  the  Merrimac  at  Santiago. 

The  reduction  of  so  strongly  garrisoned  a  city  by 
land  forces  would  involve  enormous  loss  of  life,  but 
our  armored  vessels,  under  cover  of  night,  could 
run  the  formidable  fortifications,  if  only  the  mines 
and  torpedoes  could  be  disposed  of.  For  many 

2 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PBEPARATIONS 

weeks,  as  assistant  naval  constructor  with  the  fleet, 
I  had  been  studying  the  elements  of  strength  and 
weakness  in  our  own  vessels  and  the  vessels  of  the 
enemy,  particularly  from  the  standpoint  of  stability 
and  fire  service  in  battle,  and  I  had  made  special 
reports  to  the  admiral  upon  each  vessel.  This  in 
vestigation  showed  that  our  vessels  were  particu 
larly  weak  before  torpedo  or  mine  attack.  In  fact, 
the  New  York,  the  Wilmington,  and  the  Helena  were 
about  the  only  vessels  of  the  admiral's  squadron 
that  could  stand  a  single  torpedo  blow,  and  these 
vessels  were  among  those  least  adapted  for  stand 
ing  the  fire  of  fortifications.  The  vessels  best 
adapted  for  running  fortifications,  the  monitors, 
would  sink  like  a  shot  under  the  blow  of  a  torpedo. 
This  fact  had  been  emphasized  during  the  action 
at  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico,  on  May  12.  It  became 
evident,  after  three  hours'  bombardment,  that  the 
fortifications  could  not  be  reduced  at  ranges  above 
two  thousand  yards,  and  could  be  reduced  at  short 
ranges  only  after  heavy  loss.  It  appeared  to  me 
that  the  best  method  of  reducing  San  Juan  was  to 
run  by  the  fortifications  into  the  harbor.  The  en 
trance,  of  course,  was  mined,  and  it  was  reported,  on 
good  authority,  that  a  vessel  had  been  sunk  in  such 
a  way  as  to  leave  only  a  narrow  space  for  passage, 
this  narrow  space  itself  being  heavily  mined.  Soon 
after  the  bombardment  I  had  reported  to  the  ad 
miral  on  a  method  of  going  in,  asking  to  be  allowed 

3 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEREIMAC" 

to  take  two  steam-launches  with  volunteer  crews, 
to  start  about  midnight,  and  slip  in  close  under  the 
shore  through  the  neck  from  the  westward,  and 
then  come  out  by  the  main  channel,  dragging  it, 
sweeping  the  mines,  and  locating  sunken  vessels, 
the  exit  of  the  launches  to  be  followed  by  the  en 
trance  of  the  armored  vessels.  The  admiral  had 
listened  to  the  proposition  kindly  and  apparently 
with  approval,  but  had  replied  that  until  the  enemy's 
fleet  was  met  he  could  not  risk  even  a  single  vessel, 
and  that,  under  the  conditions,  it  was  evident  that 
the. sweeping  of  the  channel  could  be  only  partial 
at  best. 

I  then  had  set  to  work  on  the  problem  of  clearing 
a  channel  of  torpedoes  and  mines.  The  result  was 
the  outline  design  of  a  craft  specially  constructed  to 
be  unsinkable,  having  the  general  form  of  an  iron 
canal-boat,  operating  by  its  own  motive  power, 
rendered  unsinkable  by  being  stowed  with  air-tight 
cans  a  foot  long,  and  made  indestructible  by  special 
arrangements  in  construction  and  by  the  use  of 
wire  cables.  I  had  elaborated  a  plan  for  the  use  of 
five  such  unsinkable  craft,  to  precede  the  fleet  in 
entering  the  harbor  of  Havana.  As  the  construc 
tion  and  preparation  of  the  unsinkables  would  re 
quire  six  weeks  or  two  months,  I  thought  it  best  to 
make  report  of  my  plan  to  the  admiral  before  the 
departure  from.  Key  West.  I  did  so  on  May  29. 

After  listening  with  attention  to  the  plans,  the 

4 


\ 


Drawn  from  lite  by  Cecilia  Beaux,  at  Glen  Kidge,  JS.  J.,  August  30,  1898. 
REAR-ADMIRAL   WILLIAM    T.   SAMPSON,    U.  S.  N. 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PKEPARATIONS 

admiral  said  that  at  the  time  it  was  not  a  ques 
tion  of  how  to  make  a  vessel  unsinkable  while 
entering  an  enemy's  harbor  protected  by  mines, 
torpedoes,  and  artillery,  but  how  to  make  a  vessel 
sink  in  an  enemy's  harbor,  and  make  her  sink 
swiftly  and  surely ;  that  it  was  "  not  a  question  of 
an  unsinkable,  but  of  a  sinkable  " ;  not  a  question 
of  Havana,  but  of  Santiago ;  and  that  at  a  subse 
quent  date  he  would  consider  the  question  of 
unsinkables. 

He  then  confided  to  me  that  he  was  about  to  start 
for  Santiago,  where  Admiral  Cervera's  fleet  had 
taken  refuge,  and  that  he  intended  to  sink  a  collier 
in  the  channel,  stating  that  he  had,  indeed,  already 
ordered  the  commanding  officer  off  Santiago  to  sink 
such  a  collier,  naming  the  Merrimac,  which  was  then 
on  the  south  side  of  Cuba,  but  scarcely  expected  to 
find  it  done,  though  the  order  had  been  sent  by  the 
New  Orleans. 

He  then  asked  how  an  iron  ship  could  be  scut 
tled  and  made  to  sink  quickly.  After  thinking 
over  the  question  for  some  time  I  replied,  in  effect, 
that  there  seemed  to  be  two  effective  methods,  one 
to  drive  off  bottom  plates  from  the  inside,  and  the 
other  to  explode  a  series  of  torpedoes  placed  advan 
tageously  on  the  outside.  We  examined  the  chart 
of  the  harbor  together,  and  I  expressed  full  confi 
dence  in  the  practicability  of  putting  the  vessel 
into  the  channel,  and  stated  that  I  should  be  happy 

7 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKKIMAC" 

to  be  allowed  to  endeavor  to  carry  out  the  work. 
The  admiral  then  instructed  me  to  study  the  ques 
tion  in  detail  and  report  to  him.  This  was  on  the 
morning  of  May  29.  I  studied  the  subject  during 
the  afternoon  and  evening,  and  thought  about  it 
during  the  night.  We  got  under  way  about  mid 
night,  and  stood  to  the  southward,  the  Oregon  hav 
ing  already  left.  We  were  off  Havana  early  in  the 


SHAPE   OF   THE   TORPEDOES   USED    TO    SINK   THE    "MERRIMAC." 

morning,  were  joined  by  the  Oregon  and  the  May 
flower,  and  stood  to  the  eastward  at  full  speed. 

My  study  included  the  complete  plans,  the  choice 
of  circumstances,  and  the  navigation  and  maneu 
vering  of  the  vessel,  as  well  as  the  method  of  sink 
ing  her.  All  these  features  were  reported  upon,  and 
the  plans  being  approved  by  the  admiral,  prelimi 
nary  preparations  were  begun  on  the  30th. 

Various  plans  were  considered.  That  of  feigning 
a  chase  suggested  itself  from  the  fact  that  Spanish 
colliers  were  supposed  to  be  on  their  way  to  Santi 
ago.  One  had  recently  been  captured  by  the  St. 
Paul,  and  from  her  it  was  learned  that  others  were 

8 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPABATIONS 

soon  expected.  By  this  method  the  Merrimac  would 
approach  by  night  from  the  eastward ;  when  about 
five  miles  away  she  would  be  discovered  by  block 
ading  vessels,  search-lights  would  be  thrown  toward 
her,  and  fire  opened,  care  being  taken  to  shoot  wide 
and  to  throw  the  lights  in  front  and  on  the  sides, 
in  order  to  show  the  splash  of  striking  projectiles. 

The  Merrimac,  upon  discovery,  would  bear  in 
toward  the  shore  to  within  about  two  thousand 
yards,  apparently  to  seek  the  shelter  of  batteries ; 
she  would  throw  pitch  on  the  fires  to  make  heavy 
black  smoke,  as  if  forcing  her  speed  to  the  utmost. 
She  would  head  in  toward  the  entrance  and  turn 
full  down  the  course  for  entering  the  channel,  blow 
ing  her  whistle  in  blasts  as  of  fright  and  distress. 
The  search-light  would  flash  across  and  show  a 
Spanish  flag  at  her  peak.  On  approaching,  the 
lights  would  be  thrown  on  the  entrance  to  facilitate 
her  navigation,  but  care  would  be  taken  not  to 
allow  them  to  rest  upon  her.  The  shore  batteries 
which  should  fire  on  the  chasing  vessels  would  be 
replied  to  and  thus  kept  diverted.  If  they  opened 
on  the  Merrimac,  search-lights  would  be  thrown  in 
the  gunners'  faces. 

However,  an  examination  of  the  chart  showed 
the  difficulties  of  navigation  to  be  so  great  that  no 
sane  captain  would  attempt  to  take  in  a  collier  at 
night  or  under  circumstances  that  did  not  admit  of 
the  utmost  deliberation.  It  was  known  that  tugs 

9 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

were  used  by  single-screw  vessels  of  any  size  on 
account  of  the  turn  in  the  channel  abreast  Estrella 
Point.  (See  map,  page  11.)  The  chances  seemed 
to  be  against  the  enemy's  being  deceived,  and  navi 
gation  depending  upon  search-lights  would  entail 
chances  of  failure. 

This  plan,  and  various  other  plans  involving  the 
cooperation  of  the  fleet,  were  discarded  in  favor  of 
the  simpler  plan  of  going  in  alone  by  moonlight, 
just  before  the  moon  should  set.  Surprise,  under 
any  condition,  could  be  only  partial  at  best,  since  a 
certain  amount  of  light  was  absolutely  necessary 
for  navigation.  The  conditions  for  surprise  would 
be  more  favorable  toward  daybreak.  Moreover,  a 
flood-tide  must  be  chosen,  so  that,  in  case  of  break 
ing  the  anchor-gear,  the  vessel  would  be  set  into 
the  channel  and  have  ample  time  for  sinking  before 
the  ebb  could  tend  to  throw  her  out,  while  the 
chances  of  being  carried  by  the  tide  through  the 
whole  length  of  the  narrow  channel  into  the  inner 
harbor  were  very  small.  The  "establishment  of 
the  port,"  or  time  of  high  tide,  was  about  eight 
hours  and  a  quarter,  so  that  the  tide  would  be  run 
ning  strong  flood  as  the  moon  set.  The  moon  was 
then  approaching  full,  and  calculations  showed  that 
on  Thursday,  June  2,  it  would  set  at  Santiago  at 
about  half -past  three.  We  were  speeding  at  nearly 
thirteen  knots,— the  Oregon  had  demonstrated  her 
ability  to  maintain  that  speed,— and  we  should 

10 


X  Position  of  COLON  May 

25~June  i. 
Positions  June  2,  1898: 

+   +    VIZCAYA    AND    MARIA 

TERESA. 
±  ±  COLON  AND  OQUENDO. 

Positions  as  observed  by 
Mr.  Hobson  from  the 
Morro,  June  3: 

A,  FUROR. 

B,  REINA   MERCEDES. 

C,  PLUTON. 

D,  VIZCAYA. 

E,  OQUENDO. 

F,  MARIA  TERESA. 

G,  COLON. 


isgy  V  ' 

/tos»*     s-> 


Drawn  by  D.  J3.  Keeler  from  a  United  States  Government  Chart. 

MAP   OF  THE  ENTRANCE   TO   SANTIAGO   HARBOR. 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE  "MEKRIMAC" 

therefore  arrive  off  Santiago  early  Wednesday 
morning  and  have  most  of  the  day  and  night  of 
Wednesday  for  preparations.  Thursday  was  there 
fore  set  for  entering,  though  the  admiral  expressed 
the  opinion  that  it  would  be  found  impossible  to 
complete  the  preparations  in  time.  The  special 
advantage  of  Thursday  was  that  there  would  be  an 
interval  of  darkness  of  about  an  hour  and  a  quarter 
between  the  time  of  moonset  and  daybreak,  while 
on  Friday  this  interval  would  be  reduced  to  about 
half  an  hour,  and  on  Saturday  day  would  break 
before  moonset.  It  will  be  understood  that  an 
interval  of  darkness,  though  short,  might  be  found 
of  advantage  for  completing  the  work  or  for  mak 
ing  escape. 

Preparations  were  therefore  begun  at  once,  the 
greatest  amount  of  detail  being  required  for  the 
process  of  sinking. 

Investigation  had  shown  that  the  two  methods  of 
sinking  the  vessel  that  first  suggested  themselves 
were  the  only  ones  practicable— that  of  driving  off 
bottom  plates  by  forces  applied  from  the  inside, 
and  that  of  using  a  series  of  torpedoes  on  the  out 
side.  Both  of  these  methods  were  reported  on  to 
the  admiral,  my  recommendation  being  in  favor  of 
the  torpedoes. 

The  method  of  driving  off  bottom  plates  consisted 
in  selecting  six  plates  in  advantageous  positions 
along  the  length,  about  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  below 

12 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PBEPABATIONS 

the  water-line,  cutting  off  all  rivet-heads  on  the 
inside,  leaving  the  plates  simply  held  in  place,  then 
placing  a  small  improvised  cannon  near  the  center 
of  each  plate,  with  cross-bars  to  distribute  the  force 
of  the  explosion  and  cause  the  plate  to  be  blown  off 
whole  in  each  case,  instead  of  merely  causing  a 
hole  to  be  blown  through  it.  This  improvised  can 
non  was  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  short  length  of 
nine-inch  piping,  containing  black  powder,  rammed 
tight,  and  held  by  a  strut  carried  up  to  the  deck- 
beam  above,  with  wedges  under  the  heel,  the  pow 
der  being  fired  at  will  by  an  ordinary  electric 
primer. 

It  was  explained  to  the  admiral  that  the  cutting 
off  of  rivet-heads  would  be  difficult  under  the  cir 
cumstances  and  would  involve  two,  if  not  three, 
days'  delay;  in  consequence  only  the  torpedo 
method  was  practicable  for  Thursday  or  Friday. 
The  latter  method,  therefore,  was  the  one  adopted. 

This  method  was  to  arrange  ten  torpedoes  on 
the  port  side,  placed  outside  abreast  the  bulkheads 
and  the  cargo-hatches  so  as  to  give  the  maxi 
mum  sinking  effect  to  a  breach  opened  up  by  each, 
the  torpedoes  being  carried  by  a  fore-and-aft  belt- 
line  extending  along  the  outside  from  end  to  end 
about  twelve  feet  below  water,  each  torpedo,  in 
addition,  having  a  hogging-  or  girth-line,  extending 
around  underneath  the  keel,  for  holding  the  tor 
pedo  in  its  place.  The  purpose  of  the  fore-and-aft 

13 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PBEPABATIONS 

belt-Hne  was  to  take  up  the  strain  due  to  resis 
tance  in  the  water. 

The  form  of  torpedo  selected,  after  considering  all 
the  forms  available  under  the  circumstances,  was 
the  simple  eight-inch  charge  in  its  own  can  or  tank, 
to  be  fired  by  its  own  electric  primer.  The  use 
of  guncotton,  placed  inside  as  well  as  out,  was 
considered  and  discarded.  Various  difficulties  were 
encountered  in  the  preparation  of  the  torpedoes, 
important  among  which  was  the  arrangement  for 
insuring  water-tightness  in  connection  with  the 
admission  of  the  wire  cable  through  the  can  or  tank 
for  the  purpose  of  firing.  The  charge  selected  was 
what  is  known  as  the  reduced  charge,  being  about 
seventy-eight  pounds  of  brown  prismatic  powder, 
this  quantity  being  large  compared  with  the  quan 
tities  used  effectively  for  torpedoes  in  previous  war 
fare.  The  eight-inch  charge  was  made  up  of  two 
parts  in  serge  sacks  or  bags,  as  shown  on  page  20. 
The  tank  was  as  long  as  the  tank  for  the  full  charge, 
and  this  left  the  requisite  amount  of  space  for  ar 
ranging  for  water-tightness.  The  charge  for  the 
torpedo  was  arranged  to  be  fired  by  the  electric 
primer,  carried  in  a  small  bag  of  four  pounds  of 
quick  black  powder,  this  bag  being  in  the  center 
between  the  two  charges,  as  indicated  in  the  sketch, 
the  insulated  wire  cable  passing  from  the  primer 
through  the  mouth  of  the  small  sack,  and  up  along 
and  outside  of  one  of  the  charges.  On  top  of  the 

15 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEBRIMAC" 

upper  charge  were  placed  two  white-pine  disks, 
seven  eighths  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  fitting  the 
can  more  or  less  tightly,  each  disk  having  a  hole  in 


DIAGRAM   SHOWING   THE  ATTACHMENT   OF  THE   TORPEDOES 
TO   THE   BELT-LINE   AND   THE   HOGGING-LINE. 

the  center  for  the  passage  of  the  wire  cable.  On 
top  of  these  disks,  and  for  a  depth  of  about  nine 
inches  of  the  can,  was  poured  hot  a  gummy  sub 
stance  made  up  of  pitch  and  tallow,  which,  while 
warm,  would  close  all  openings  and  make  a  sub 
stance  entirely  water-tight,  and  which,  in  harden 
ing,  would  still  be  pliable  and  spongy  and  not  easily 
cracked,  acting  also  as  additional  insulation  for  the 
wire  cable  passing  through  it.  Care  was  taken  to 
examine  whether  this  pitch  composition,  poured  in 
hot,  would  burn  the  insulation  off  the  wire ;  but 
no  difficulty  of  the  sort  was  met  with. 

The  question  of  making  the  cans  water-tight  had 
been  the  subject  of  a  conference  with  the  admiral,  in 
which  at  first  he  had  suggested  the  use  of  paraffin ; 
but  not  having  paraffin  on  board,  the  mixture  of 

16 


THE    SCHEME  AND  THE   PREPARATIONS 

tallow  and  pitch  was  decided  upon,  with  the  addi 
tion  of  gum  from  rubber  gaskets  intermingled,  if  it 
were  found  necessary  to  reduce  the  brittleness.  The 
top  of  the  tank  was  left  the  same  as  usual,  only  a 
hole  large  enough  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  the 
cable  was  drilled  in  the  center.  At  the  bottom  of 
the  can  was  a  short  thickness  of  mineral  wool. 

The  preparation  of  the  torpedoes  was  begun  at 
once,  Gunner  Morgan  of  the  New  York  and  the 
gunner's  gang  being  detailed  for  its  execution. 

The  torpedoes,  ten  in  number,  were  to  be  secured 
on  the  port  side  at  the  points  determined  upon  for 
producing  the  maximum  sinking  effect,  being  held 
by  the  belt-line,  extending  entirely  around  the  ves 
sel  from  forward  aft  at  a  depth  of  about  twelve  feet 
below  the  water,  as  above  mentioned,  the  torpedoes 
lying  lengthwise  along  this  belt-line.  (See  plan  on 
page  14.)  The  wire-cable  end  or  head  of  the  torpedo 
was  pointed  aft,  in  order  to  reduce  the  chances  of 
leakage,  the  eddy  created  by  the  torpedo  reducing 
the  water-pressure  at  the  hole.  In  addition,  as  was 
mentioned  above,  each  torpedo  had  a  hogging-  or 
girth-line  extending  completely  around  the  ship,  by 
which  the  torpedo  was  kept  close  in  to  the  side  and 
at  the  proper  depth.  Two  lashings  in  addition  were 
placed  near  the  ends  of  each  torpedo,  securing  it 
more  tightly  to  the  belt-line.  Torpedo  No.  1  was 
abreast  the  collision  bulkhead,  No.  2  abreast  the 
forward  cargo-hatch,  No.  3  abreast  the  large  space 

17 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKftlMAC" 

forward  of  the  boiler-room,  No.  4  abreast  the  for 
ward  boiler-room  bulkhead,  No.  5  abreast  the  for 
ward  engine-room  bulkhead,  and  so  on  from  forward 
aft,  the  positions  being  chosen,  as  has  already  been 


TRANSVERSE   SECTION   OF  THE   "MERRIMAC,"   SHOWING  POSITION 

OF   THE  BELT-LINE   HOLDING   THE   TORPEDOES 

AND   OF   THE  HOGGING-LINE. 

stated,  so  as  to  give  the  maximum  sinking  effect. 
All  were  placed  on  the  port  side,  because,  in  turning 
with  the  port  helm,  it  would  be  the  forward  side, 
so  to  speak,  making  the  inrush  of  water  more  rapid 
than  would  be  the  case  on  the  starboard  side.  At 

18 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

the  same  time,  the  fact  that  all  the  torpedoes  were 
on  the  same  side  would  cause  a  list  to  port,  making 
the  water  reach  more  quickly  the  level  of  the  cargo- 
ports,  and  would  tend  in  every  way  to  cause  the 
sinking  to  be  more  rapid,  while  the  vessel,  being 
without  longitudinal  bulkheads,  would  right  herself 
finally  as  she  went  under  in  deep  water.  Besides, 
the  crew  would  abandon  the  ship  from  the  starboard 
side. 

The  cables  from  all  the  torpedoes  were  led  up  to 
the  bridge,  and  from  this  position  all  were  to  be 
exploded  simultaneously  at  a  given  moment. 

With  a  view  to  affording  an  additional  guaranty 
of  sinking,  the  sea  connections  were  to  be  prepared 
for  opening,  and  all  apertures  forward  and  aft  were 
to  be  opened— all  doors,  hatches,  and  manholes  on 
the  inside,  and  the  cargo-ports  in  the  sides. 

The  question  of  firing  the  torpedoes  involved  a 
serious  difficulty.  Signals  were  made  to  the  Oregon 
and  the  Mayflower,  accompanying  us,  for  an  electric 
machine;  but  neither  of  these  vessels  had  such  a 
machine,  nor  did  we  have  one  on  board  the  New 
York.  It  was  evident  that  unless  we  should  find 
that  some  vessel  of  Commodore  Schley's  Flying 
Squadron  had  such  a  machine,  it  would  be  neces 
sary  to  fire  by  batteries,  which  are  particularly 
fragile ;  and  in  such  case  it  was  decided  to  increase 
the  number  of  cells  far  beyond  the  ordinary  num 
ber  required  to  fire  the  primers.  The  questions  of 
2  19 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKIMAC" 

wiring  and  of  the  amount  of  cable  required  careful 
attention. 

These  details  of  the  program  were  approved  by 
the  admiral.  There  was  one  feature,  however,  which 
he  did  not  approve.  It  seemed  to  me  that  there  was 
an  element  of  weakness  in  the  firing  of  the  torpe 
does.  The  number  of  torpedoes  had  been  fixed  at 
ten,  which  at  first  might  seem  excessive.  I  esti 
mated  that  if  all  of  them  went  off  the  vessel  would 
sink  in  a  minute  and  a  quarter.  The  number 


OLsbesfos 


SECTIONAL   DRAWING   OF  A   TORPEDO. 

was  made  large  because  of  the  innate  weakness 
of  the  firing  arrangements  and  the  probability  of 
injury  before  the  time  for  firing.  I  requested  the 
admiral  to  allow  me  to  take  in  addition  two  war 
heads  from  the  torpedoes  on  the  New  York  and 
place  them  inside  the  Merrimac,  abreast  of  the  two 
most  important  bulkheads,  leading  their  connec 
tions  up  inside,  where  they  could  not  be  injured  by 

20 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PBEPAKATIONS 

the  enemy's  fire,  thus  having  at  hand  at  all  times  a 
positive  means  of  instantly  sinking  the  ship.  When 
these  war-heads  were  asked  for  the  admiral  pon 
dered  a  moment  and  then  said :  "  No,  I  cannot  let 
you  have  them ;  two  hundred  pounds  of  guncotton 
on  the  inside  would  blow  everything  to  the  devil." 
Those  who  know  the  uniformly  temperate  language 
of  the  admiral  will  understand  the  emphasis  of  this 
reply. 

The  parts  of  the  program  pertaining  to  naviga 
tion  had  been  studied  in  connection  with  the  chart 
of  the  harbor  and  the  pilotage  publications.  The 
difficulties  of  navigation  were  of  even  greater  con 
sequence  than  those  associated  with  the  sinking  of 
the  vessel.  Eeferring  to  the  map,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  entrance  is  very  narrow,  and  that,  with  the 
slightest  deviation  or  error,  the  shoal  water  on  the 
left,  near  the  course  of  the  channel,  would  cause 
a  failure  to  enter.  Once  entered,  however,  the  con 
ditions  of  the  long,  narrow  channel  were  favorable 
for  obstruction  for  some  distance.  It  would  there 
fore  be  necessary  to  have  the  vessel  pointed  fair, 
with  sufficient  speed  at  the  entrance  to  insure  com 
plete  control  with  the  helm.  The  length  of  the 
Merrimac  was  about  333  feet,  and  the  width  of  the 
channel  in  the  narrow  portions  ranged  from  350  to 
450  feet.  It  would  be  necessary,  therefore,  after 
swinging  the  vessel  athwart  the  channel,  to  catch 
and  hold  her  in  this  position.  The  depth  of  the 

21 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE  "MERRIMAC" 

channel  varied  from  about  five  fathoms  to  ten  or 
eleven  fathoms ;  the  vessel  would  draw  about  sev 
enteen  feet,  and  the  most  advantageous  position  for 
swinging  was  carefully  chosen.  There  being  only 
a  short  distance  in  which  to  overcome  the  speed  of 
the  vessel,  special  elastic  arrangements  would  be 
necessary  to  enable  the  anchor-gear  to  check  and 
absorb  the  speed,  so  as  to  catch  and  hold  the  vessel 
in  the  athwart  position.  To  realize  this  elasticity, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  enable  the  anchor  and 
chain  to  work  automatically,  the  chain  would  be 
roused  up  out  of  the  lockers  and  ranged  along  the 
deck.  After  running  out  a  certain  length  the  chain 
would  begin  to  break  elastic-rope  stops,  one  end 
of  the  stop  being  made  fast  to  the  chain,  the  other 
to  a  long  rope  hawser  of  larger  size,  so  that  each 
stop  before  breaking  would  bring  into  play  the 
elasticity  of  the  large  hawser,  which  itself  would  be 
finally  broken. 

The  manceuver  decided  upon  and  approved  by 
the  admiral  was  to  approach  at  full  speed,  stopping 
a  short  distance  from  the  entrance,  so  that  the 
speed  on  arriving  at  the  point  for  the  final  manceu 
ver  would  be  about  from  four  and  a  half  to  five 
knots.  (See  plan,  page  23.)  At  this  point,  position 
A,  the  helm  would  be  put  hard  aport.  As  soon  as 
the  ship  began  to  swing,  the  starboard  bow-anchor 
would  be  let  go  with  sixty  fathoms  of  chain ;  when 
about  in  position  B,  the  starboard  stern-anchor 

22 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

would  be  let  drop  with  forty  fathoms  of  chain,  the 
two  permitting  the  ship  to  take  position  C,  where 
she  would  be  lying  on  a  span  directly  athwart. 
Any  additional  motion  still  remaining  would  be 
absorbed  by  the  vessel  sticking  her  nose  into  the 


Drawn  by  E.  S.  Gielow,  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Hobson. 

PLAN   OF   THE    MANCEUVER   AS    PROJECTED. 

A,  Position  for  putting  helm  aport  and  dropping  bow-anchor ;  B,  Position 
for  dropping  stern-anchor;  C,  Position  athwart,  riding  to  span. 


shoal  on  the  right  side  of  the  channel.  If  the  stern 
anchor-chain  were  carried  away  the  movement 
would  cause  the  vessel  to  throw  her  port  quarter 

23 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

into  the  shoal  on  the  port  side,  the  bank  being  only 
one  and  a  quarter  fathoms  deep. 

The  general  plan  contemplated  a  minimum  crew 
of  volunteers  for  its  execution,  with  the  simplest 
form  of  duty  for  each  member  to  perform.  The 
anchors  were  to  be  slung  over  the  sides  and  held  by 
simple  lashings,  ready  to  be  cut  with  an  ax,  a  man 
being  stationed  at  each  anchor.  Only  two  men 
were  to  be  kept  below,  one  in  the  engine-room  and 
one  in  the  boiler-room.  One  man  was  to  be  at  the 
wheel  and  one  was  to  assist  with  the  torpedoes, 
making  in  all  a  crew  of  six  men. 

The  signaling  was  to  be  by  cord  pulls.  The  men 
were  to  lie  on  their  faces  at  their  separate  stations, 
with  the  end  of  a  cord  wrapped  around  the  wrist, 
awaiting  the  pull  from  the  bridge,  where  all  the 
cords  were  to  converge.  A  simple  pull  would  mean 
to  "  stand  by  " ;  then  three  steady,  deliberate  pulls 
in  succession  would  be  the  signal  for  action. 

The  plan  contemplated  having  a  life-boat  in  tow 
at  the  stern,  with  a  long  painter,  or  line,  leading 
forward.  After  the  performance  of  duty  the  first 
man  was  to  pull  in  the  long  painter,  haul  the  boat 
up  toward  the  ship's  side,  jump  overboard,  get  into 
the  boat,  turn  it  around  to  head  out,  and  hold  it 
just  off  the  ship  as  it  swung ;  then  each  man,  after 
completing  his  duty,  was  to  jump  overboard  and 
get  into  the  boat. 

The  torpedoes  were  to  be  fired  at  the  moment 

24 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

when  all  was  secure  and  the  ship  had  reached  her 
position  athwart  the  channel.  They  were  to  be 
fired  from  the  bridge.  After  firing  them,  I  was  to 
jump  overboard  and  join  the  boat,  which  would 
then  be  ready  to  pull  away,  all  the  crew  having  had 
time  to  reach  it. 

The  boat  was  to  be  fitted  with  life-preservers 
under  the  bulwarks  and  thwarts  to  prevent  sinking 
if  it  should  be  riddled.  It  was  to  carry  seven  rifles, 
and  seven  belts  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  car 
tridges  in  each. 

The  uniform  was  to  consist  of  woolen  underwear 
and  two  pairs  of  socks;  each  man  was  to  wear  a 
life-preserver  and  a  revolver-belt  with  a  revolver 
and  a  box  of  cartridges,  the  cartridges  being  im 
mersed  in  tallow. 

If  I  should  not  appear  after  the  explosion,  the 
boat  was  to  pull  away  in  charge  of  the  senior  petty 
officer  present.  If  the  boat  were  interfered  with,  it 
should  defend  itself  while  endeavoring  to  escape. 
If  it  were  destroyed,  we  were  to  swim  for  a  ren 
dezvous  on  the  bank  under  the  Morro,  just  inside 
the  cove,  from  which  an  effort  would  be  made,  by 
creeping  along  the  bank  and  swimming  at  the 
steep  parts,  to  make  our  way  around  and  well  to  the 
eastward  of  the  entrance  before  putting  to  sea  to 
try  to  reach  the  squadron.  In  all  cases  the  party 
would  endeavor  to  keep  together  and  act  as  a  unit. 

The  question  of  volunteers  being  referred  to,  the 

27 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKBIMAC" 

admiral  expressed  the  belief  that  there  would  be  no 
difficulty  in  getting  the  men  wanted. 

By  Tuesday  afternoon  all  the  preparations  that 
could  be  made  beforehand  were  well  under  way. 
The  three  vessels  were  speeding  onward  along  the 
north  shore  of  Cuba.  It  is  a  fine  coast,  with  moun 
tains  rising  straight  from  the  sea.  No  wind  was 
stirring,  and  the  clouds  hung  motionless  on  the 
mountain- sides.  The  sky  was  preparing  a  weird 
sunset,  remarkable  even  for  the  tropics,  and  the 
water  reflected  the  weirdness. 

The  spirit  of  mystery  over  land  and  sea  and  air 
and  sky  extended  to  the  sounds.  Even  the  regular 
bugle-call  to  quarters  and  evening  prayers  appeared 
different.  All  nature  seemed  to  be  preparing  trag 
edy.  The  enemy  was  near.  The  time  for  action 
in  our  sacred  cause  was  close  at  hand.  I  lingered 
on  deck.  The  moon  rose  bright  and  clear,  approach 
ing  its  full.  On  the  ships  sped.  Cape  Maysi  light 
appeared  in  the  distance  and  drew  aft  till  it  lay 
abeam.  We  changed  our  course  to  the  southward, 
and  standing  down  the  Windward  Passage,  passed 
close  to  the  land,  and  caught  whiffs  of  the  tropical 
vegetation.  The  moon  was  near  its  meridian  as 
the  vessels  rounded  the  southeastern  end  of  Cuba. 
To-morrow  we  should  see  the  sun  rise  on  Santiago. 

The  next  day  (June  1),  as  we  went  on  deck,  very 
early,  we  made  out  the  Flying  Squadron  in  the 
distance.  As  the  New  York  stood  down  toward 

28 


ADMIRAL    SAMPSOX,   COMMODORE    SOHLEY,   AXD    MR.   HOBSOX    IXSPECTIXG 
THE    SAXTIAGO    EXTRAXCE    PROM    THE    DEOK    OF   THE    "  XEW   YORK." 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

the  Brooklyn,  there,  off  the  starboard  bow,  stood 
the  Morro,  frowning  down  on  the  narrow  entrance ; 
back  in  the  distance  rose  the  mountains  beyond 
the  city.  From  aloft  we  could  see  the  military  tops 
of  the  Vizcaya  and  the  Cristobal  Colon,  behind  the 
cliffs  of  Smith  Cay  and  Punta  Gorda  Neck.  As  the 
New  York  passed  the  bearing  in  line  with  the  inner 
channel,  a  shot  came  out  at  long  range.  It  fell 
short,  of  course,  but  it  spoke  challenge  and  defiance. 
We  passed  the  Merrimac,  lying  to  the  eastward, 
locked  with  the  Massachusetts  coaling  alongside, 
and  stopped  near  the  Brooklyn.  Commodore  Schley 
and  his  flag-lieutenant,  J.  H.  Sears,  came  off,  and  were 
met  by  Admiral  Sampson  and  his  chief  of  staff,  Cap 
tain  Chad  wick,  and  Flag-Lieutenant  Staunton,  and 
all  went  below  to  the  admiral's  cabin.  Soon  the  ad 
miral  and  the  commodore  came  on  deck,  and  the 
admiral  called  me  aft.  The  commodore  pointed 
out  the  location  of  batteries  as  he  had  discovered 
them  in  the  bombardment  of  the  previous  day. 
The  sea  batteries  to  the  eastward  and  westward 
of  the  entrance  could  be  made  out,  though  dimlyv 
but  the  batteries  described  by  the  commodore  as 
lying  on  the  slope  of  Socapa,  the  west  bank  of  the 
channel,  could  not  be  located.  The  galleries  and 
gun-ports  of  Morro  could  be  seen,  but  Estrella  Point 
and  the  heights  of  Churruca  and  Punta  Grorda 
necks  were  obscured.  I  asked  for  a  steam-launch 
to  go  in  closer  to  reconnoiter,  but  my  request  was 

31 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

declined.  After  the  commodore  left,  the  New  York 
stood  farther  to  the  westward  to  get  on  the  bearing, 
Estrella  Point,  north,  34°  E.,  the  course  for  enter 
ing.  The  admiral,  the  chief  of  staff,  the  navigator, 
and  I  then  went  up  on  the  forward  bridge.  There 
was  a  division  of  opinion  as  to  what  was  really 
Estrella  Point.  It  was  then  decided  to  let  me  take 
the  steam-launch  and  go  in  to  reconnoiter,  and  the 
launch  was  hoisted  out  and  the  fires  were  lighted. 
The  quartermaster  having  reported  the  masts  and 
funnel  of  a  small  craft  behind  a  neck  of  land  to  the 
westward,  the  New  York  dropped  the  launch  and 
stood  down  to  investigate  the  craft,  which  proved 
to  be  one  of  our  auxiliaries. 

When  steam  was  up  on  the  launch  we  headed  in, 
though  we  were  delayed  by  the  feed-pump  getting 
out  of  order.  We  soon  were  able  to  make  out  dis 
tinctly  the  batteries  to  the  eastward  of  Morro,  and 
those  to  the  westward  of  the  entrance.  They  were 
not  completed,  and  work  seemed  to  be  going  on. 
All  question  about  Estrella  Point  disappeared,  and 
I  found  two  good  ranges  on  the  mountains  behind 
to  help  in  running  in,  and  mentally  photographed 
the  view,  noting  specially  the  high  points  that 
would  aid  in  recognizing  the  entrance  at  night. 
We  avoided  some  objects  awash  that  looked  as 
though  they  might  be  range-buoys,  but  stood  for 
the  most  part  straight  up  the  course  for  entering. 

This  course  leads  nearer  the  western  shore,  and 

32 


MR.    HOBSON    RECONN01TER1NG    THE   HARBOR    ENTRANCE. 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PKEPARATIONS 

one  of  the  crew  reported  seeing  men  in  the  bushes, 
and  then  a  rifle-bullet  passed  overhead.  The  launch 
was  slowed  down,  and  directions  were  given  to  have 
a  full  head  of  steam,  with  plenty  of  water  in  the 
boiler,  in  order  to  be  independent  of  the  laboring 
feed-pump,  and  the  cockswain  was  ordered  to  stand 
by  to  go  about. 

One  of  the  crew  now  reported  a  signal  flying  from 
the  New  York,  which  had  come  back;  it  was  the 
general  recall.  I  had  desired  to  find  out  something 
about  the  batteries  on  the  slopes  of  Socapa,  and  to 
get  some  sure  mark  on  the  western  side  as  a  guide 
in  entering  at  night.  It  soon  became  evident,  how 
ever,  that  the  batteries  on  the  slopes  could  not  be 
seen  without  actually  entering,  while  the  bushes 
came  down  to  the  water's  edge  on  the  west,  and  no 
mark  for  guidance  could  be  found.  Only  the  Morro 
side  would  be  distinct,  and  the  course  to  pass  would 
have  to  be  regulated  by  estimating  the  distance 
from  the  Morro.  Fortunately,  on  this  side  the 
water  was  deep,  and  would  permit  of  passage  close 
aboard.  The  launch  turned  and  stood  out  slowly, 
and  when  well  away  went  full  speed  for,  the  New 
York.  It  was  now  nearly  noon.  The  Merrimac 
had  drifted  farther  to  the  eastward.  Signal  had 
been  sent  to  all  the  vessels  calling  for  an  electric 
machine  for  firing  torpedoes,  and  the  torpedoes 
were  well  in  hand ;  but  half  the  day  was  gone,  and 
no  preparations  had  been  made  on  the  Merrimac. 

35 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

The  New  York  stood  back  at  speed,  and  shortly 
after  noon  stopped  near  by.  Boatswain  Mullen  and 
I  went  off  in  a  pulling-boat,  and  crossed  over  the 
Massachusetts  to  the  Merrimac,  where  coaling  was 
going  on  at  all  the  hatches.  The  officers  of  the 
Merrimac  were  at  luncheon,  the  captain  and  other 
officers  forming  a  single  mess.  Everybody  was 
completely  surprised  when  I  announced  the  pur 
pose  of  the  admiral  to  have  the  Merrimac  sunk  in 
the  channel  that  night,  and  I  was  pelted  with 
questions. 

Coaling  was  to  continue;  the  Merrimatfs  crew 
were  already  more  or  less  fatigued,  and  as  they 
would  have  their  hands  full  in  getting  their  effects 
away,  could  give  but  little,  if  any,  assistance.  I 
made  a  rapid  inspection :  the  bow-anchor  weighed 
fourteen  thousand  pounds;  the  hold  contained 
about  twenty-three  hundred  tons  of  coal,  which  lay 
heaped  up  against  some  of  the  bulkheads  where  the 
torpedoes  would  be  placed.  A  signal  was  sent  to 
the  New  York  to  send  over  one  watch,  or  half  her 
deck  force,  and  forty  coal-heavers,  the  deck  force 
to  be  employed  in  preparing  the  anchors,  chains, 
belt-  and  hogging-lines,  the  coal-heavers  to  shovel 
the  coal  away  from  the  sides  at  the  points  of  loca 
tion  of  the  torpedoes,  to  prevent  interference  with 
their  action  in  blowing  in  the  sides  as  well  as  the 
clogging  of  the  ruptures. 

While  waiting  for  the  men  from  the  New  York, 

36 


ASSISTANT-ENGINEER   ROBERT    K.    CRANK. 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

the  boatswain  and  I  went  below  and  located  the 
bulkheads,  taking  tape-measure  distances  to  fix 
their  positions  accurately  on  the  outside.  Assis 
tant  Engineer  R.  K.  Crank  went  with  me  through  the 
boiler-  and  engine-rooms,  and  agreed  to  the  use  of 
part  of  his  own  force  to  do  the  work  of  preparing 
the  sea  connections  for  flooding  and  of  opening  up 
the  cargo-ports  and  all  openings  throughout.  When 
all  the  work  was  done,  we  were  to  go  through  for 
final  inspection. 

The  preparation  of  anchors  and  chains,  belt-  and 
hogging-lines,  was  explained  in  full  to  the  boat 
swain.  The  starboard  chain  was  to  be  roused  up 
and  ranged  along  the  forecastle ;  the  starboard  an 
chor  to  be  got  over  the  bow ;  the  port  anchor  to  be 
unshackled  and  transported  aft  to  the  starboard 
quarter,  the  port  chain  being  similarly  transported ; 
the  bow-anchor  to  have  sixty  fathoms  clear,  and 
the  stern-anchor  about  forty  fathoms,  the  last  fif 
teen  fathoms  to  have  the  stops  for  breaking. 

We  went  into  the  forehold  to  look  for  gear,  and 
found  plenty  in  the  Merrima&s  supply.  We  selected 
eight-inch  new  Manila  for  the  long  lengths  of  elas 
tic  hawser,  and  five-inch  new  Manila  for  the  stops ; 
a  large  coil  of  new  four-and-a-half-inch  Manila 
would  answer  admirably  for  the  belt-line,  and  eigh- 
teen-thread  stuff  for  the  hogging-lines.  As  we  ex 
pected  the  stripping  of  the  ship  to  begin  soon,  we 
set  this  gear  aside  to  prevent  its  falling  into  the 

39 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

hands  of  some  boatswain's  mate  or  other  provident 
pillager. 

When  I  returned  to  the  New  York  to  see  about 
the  personnel  of  the  crew  and  the  status  of  the  tor 
pedoes,  the  starboard  watch  from  the  New  York  had 
come  over  under  Naval  Cadet  Boone,  and  forty 
coal-heavers  were  on  their  way  from  the  Brooklyn. 
Captain  J.  M.  Miller  of  the  Merrimac  had  given  direc 
tions  to  his  officers  and  crew  to  prepare  to  leave 
the  ship,  and  was  himself  leaving  to  see  the  admiral. 

In  reply  to  the  signal  for  an  electric  machine,  a 
negative  answer  had  come  from  all  ships.  There 
was  not  one  in  the  squadron.  It  seemed  a  coinci 
dence  that  the  vessels  that  were  known  to  have 
them  were  all  north  of  Cuba.  Batteries  of  cells 
would  have  to  be  depended  on.  The  New  York  had 
only  a  few  spare  firing-cells.  The  fleet  was  called 
upon.  I  requested  Lieutenant  Roller  to  take  the 
matter  in  hand,  get  together  the  cells,  allowing 
three  or  four  times  the  number  usually  required  for 
the  eight-inch  primers,  arrange  the  cells  for  maxi 
mum  efficiency,  test  all  the  cable  for  insulation,  and 
actually  fire  trial  primers  under  the  conditions  of 
use. 

While  I  was  on  the  Merrimac,  Assistant  Engineer 
Crank  had  expressed  a  wish  to  go  in  with  the  ship, 
and  had  recommended  a  machinist,  Phillips,  and  a 
water-tender,  Kelly,  who  had  shown  themselves 
competent  and  reliable,  and  who  wished  to  go. 

40 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

Captain  Miller,  who  expected  to  go  in,  had  spoken 
in  high  terms  of  his  quartermaster  and  cockswain, 
young  Deignan.  There  was  advantage  in  having 
men  for  the  wheel,  the  engines,  and  the  boilers  from 
the  Merrimac's  crew,  on  account  of  their  familiarity 
with  the  vessel ;  so  I  called  the  three  men  up,  looked 
at  them  well,  explained  the  nature  of  the  mission, 
and  asked  if  they  wished  to  go.  All  replied  affirm 
atively,  so  I  decided  to  take  them. 

The  call  for  volunteers  had  been  made  by  signal, 
and  names  were  pouring  in  by  the  hundred.  It  may 
be  said  broadly  that  the  bulk  of  the  fleet  was  anx 
ious  to  go.  The  admiral  had  thought  that  perhaps 
it  might  be  well  to  have  a  junior  officer,  and  had 
asked  for  volunteers  from  the  junior  officers  of  the 
New  York.  The  junior  officers'  mess  responded  en 
masse.  Powell,  one  of  my  pupils  at  the  Naval 
Academy,  was  on  deck  when  I  came  on  board,  and 
begged  me  to  take  him.  Eggert,  another  of  my 
pupils,  saw  me,  and  pleaded  to  go.  Men  of  the  New 
York's  crew  pressed  upon  me  and  used  all  kinds  of 
arguments  to  persuade  me  to  take  them.  It  was  as 
though  a  great  favor  were  being  asked  and  every 
means  were  taken  to  have  it  granted. 

Captain  Miller  had  now  returned  to  the  Merrimac. 
When  I  was  about  to  leave,  the  admiral  sent  for 
me  and  said  that  Captain  Miller  claimed  it  as  his 
right  as  commanding  officer  of  the  vessel  to  go  in 
with  the  Merrimac,  and  that  he  did  not  see  how  his 

43 


THE  SINKING  OF  THE  "MERRIMAC" 

claim  could  be  disregarded.  My  answer  was  in 
effect  that  I  should  be  happy  to  serve  in  any  capa 
city,  but  that  it  must  be  evident  to  all  that  Captain 
Miller  could  not  be  anything  but  a  passenger,  even 
if  nominally  in  command,  being  entirely  unfamiliar 
with  the  details  of  the  plans,  while  it  was,  of  course, 
too  late  in  the  day  to  become  properly  acquainted 
with  them ;  that  I  had  carefully  reduced  the  crew 
to  a  minimum,  and  had  made  the  duties  the  very 
simplest,  and  felt  it  would  be  unjustifiable,  even 
wrong,  to  allow  a  single  man  in  excess  of  the  re 
quirements,  and  for  this  reason  had  refused  the 
junior  officers  and  all  others;  that,  besides  other 
considerations,  we  should  all  certainly  be  over 
board  ;  that  my  men  should  be  young,  athletic,  and 
used  to  exposure ;  that  probably  no  one  of  the  age 
of  a  commander  would  be  equal  to  the  physical 
strain ;  that  if  there  should  be  a  chance  to  escape 
we  should  certainly  not  abandon  the  captain,  and 
his  presence  would  probably  entail  the  loss  of  all ; 
that  when  the  situation  was  clear  to  the  captain  he 
surely  would  not  insist  on  going,  however  great  his 
desire,  as  he  could  not  really  consider  that  it  was 
right  or  was  his  duty  to  go.  The  admiral  concluded 
that  he  would  not  allow  the  captain  to  go. 

It  was  understood  with  the  executive  officer  of 
the  New  York,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  list  of  vol 
unteers,  that  word  would  be  sent  as  to  the  men  to 
be  selected. 

44 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

I  then  left  the  New  York,  with  the  understanding 
that  notice  would  be  sent  when  all  was  ready  on 
the  Merrimac,  whereupon  the  admiral  would  go  on 
board  to  inspect. 

Matters  on  the  New  York  detained  me,  and  the 
afternoon  had  worn  well  along  when  I  reached  the 
Merrimac.  The  conditions  on  board  can  hardly  be 
conceived.  Orders  had  been  given  to  strip  the  ship, 
and  only  a  few  hours  remained  in  which  to  do  it. 
Squads  from  various  vessels  were  everywhere  re 
moving  articles.  The  crew  of  the  Merrimac  were 
looking  to  their  own  effects.  The  gangways  were 
piled  with  boxes,  cans,  and  debris  of  all  kinds,  and 
a  barrel  of  beer  had  got  adrift.  To  my  horror,  the 
port  bower-chain  had  not  been  unshackled;  the 
boatswain  and  his  gang  were  at  work  on  it,  and 
still  it  resisted  ;the  starboard  anchor  and  chain  were 
as  yet  untouched.  The  coal-heavers,  misunder 
standing  the  instructions  given,  had  been  shoveling 
coal  from  port  to  starboard.  Men  in  the  stripping 
squads  were  everywhere  in  the  way.  It  was  im 
possible  to  tell  who  belonged  to  the  working  squads 
and  who  did  not.  Utter  confusion  existed,  and 
under  the  circumstances  would  admit  of  but  slight 
remedy.  Even  the  gear  laid  aside  for  belt-  and 
hogging-lines,  stops,  and  hawsers,  had  been  pil 
laged.  It  was  evidently  to  be  a  desperate  fight 
against  time. 

The  idea  of  getting  the  fourteen-thousand-pound 
3  45 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

anchor  aft  had  to  be  abandoned,  but  there  was  a 
heavy  stream-anchor  already  aft  and  another  for 
ward.  We  slung  the  one  forward  from  the  cargo- 
boom  to  the  deck  of  the  Massachusetts,  which 
dropped  aft ;  then  we  took  it  up  with  a  cargo-boom 
aft,  and  proceeded  to  lash  the  two  stream-anchors 
together,  crown  to  ring,  or  tandem-fashion,  which 
would  give  the  two  combined  as  great  holding- 
power  as  the  heavier  bower-anchor. 

When  we  started  rousing  up  the  starboard  chain, 
the  anchor- windlass  worked  badly.  Soon  the  port 
anchor-chain  was  unshackled,  and  it  was  appa 
rent  that  the  heaviest  work  would  come  in  get 
ting  the  chain  aft;  for  the  fifteen-fathom  lengths 
could  not  be  unshackled,  as  the  shackle-pins  could 
not  be  driven  out;  so  the  heavy  chain,  the  very 
largest  size  manufactured,  would  have  to  be  trans 
ported  aft  in  one  piece  the  whole  length  of  the 
ship. 

To  save  time,  we  started  rousing  this  chain  up 
without  stopping  the  rousing  up  of  the  starboard 
chain.  The  windlass  utterly  rebelled.  About  thirty 
fathoms  of  the  latter  chain  were  already  up,  and  it 
started  back  by  the  run  into  the  locker.  It  was 
fairly  heartrending  to  see  the  chain  go  charging 
back,  undoing  the  results  of  such  hard  work.  More 
than  half  had  run  back  before  it  could  be  checked. 
The  port  chain  would  have  to  wait  till  the  starboard 
chain  was  completely  up.  The  sun  was  setting  be- 

46 


HAULING    THE   ANCHOR-CHAIN   TO    THE    STERN. 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PBEPARATIONS 

fore  the  heavier  work  could  be  begun,  when  finally 
the  chain  started  up,  and  after  getting  aft  as  far 
as  the  deck-house,  would  not  budge  farther.  I  ap 
pealed  to  all  the  men  from  all  the  gangs.  They  took 
hold,  some  with  their  hands,  some  with  the  chain- 
hooks,  some  with  ropes'  ends.  The  chain  started 
up,  but  soon  stopped  again.  No  effort  could  make 
it  move  a  second  time.  Darkness  was  setting  in. 
The  search  for  lanterns  showed  that  the  strippers 
had  preceded  us  in  the  lamp-room ;  only  two  or  three 
lanterns  could  be  found,  and  those  were  in  bad  con 
dition.  The  men  were  nearly  exhausted,  having 
been  working  without  relief  and  without  supper. 
We  turned  steam  on  the  after- winches,  determined 
to  make  them  haul  the  chain  aft,  but  no  tackles 
could  be  found ;  all  had  been  taken  off.  "We  used 
part  of  the  coil  for  the  belt-line,  and  after  breaking 
it  several  times  finally  started  the  chain,  and  this 
measure  gave  promise  of  getting  the  required 
amount  aft  in  course  of  time. 

Hogging-lines  had  been  started  by  means  of  a 
weight  put  over  the  bow  in  a  span  of  the  line, 
carrying  it  below  the  keel,  a  man  on  each  side  walk 
ing  aft  outside  till  the  desired  point  was  reached. 
As  bad  fortune  would  have  it,  the  lines  already 
put  over  became  entangled,  and  nearly  all  had 
to  be  hauled  in,  and  the  work  done  over.  More 
over,  the  strippers  having  pillaged  the  gear  laid 
aside,  as  mentioned  above,  the  stuff  for  hogging- 

49 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

lines  was  found  to  be  missing.  In  fact,  the  hawsers 
were  just  being  started  over  the  side,  and  the  coil 
for  the  belt-line  was  on  deck,  when  we  caught  and 
saved  them.  So  material  for  the  hogging-lines  had 
to  be  improvised  by  unreeving  tackles  from  the 
cargo-booms  and  by  searching  among  the  debris. 
The  Massachusetts,  after  transporting  the  stream- 
anchor  aft,  had  shoved  off,  and  with  her  departure 
the  stripping  abated.  Now  only  a  squad  from 
the  Texas  and  the  force  from  the  Brooklyn  re 
mained,  besides  the  men  from  the  New  York.  The 
New  York  hailed,  and  said  she  would  send  off  the 
port  watch  to  relieve  the  starboard  watch.  We 
had  been  drifting  steadily  to  the  eastward;  the 
Texas  and  the  Brooklyn  were  not  in  sight.  The 
coal-heavers  could  do  no  more  work  in  the  dark 
ness  below,  so  the  two  squads  were  sent  to  the  New 
York  with  the  New  York's  starboard  watch  when 
the  port  watch  came  off.  The  steam-launch  had 
brought  off  the  gunner,  with  the  torpedoes,  batteries, 
and  wire,  and  some  dynamo-men  were  sent  for  to 
help  in  running  the  wires.  It  was  dark,  for  the 
moon  was  obscured,  and  we  had  little  lantern-light ; 
but  the  men  just  arrived  were  fresh,  and  the  inter 
fering  groups  were  gone,  so  we  could  work  with 
more  organization. 

Cadet  Boone  took  a  squad  and  started  the  belt- 
line,  and  when  the  belt-line  was  around  at  the 
height  of  the  rail,  where  the  torpedoes  were  to  be 

50 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PEEPAEATIONS 

attached,  he  continued  with  the  same  men  to  get 
the  hogging-lines  in  place. 

Assistant  Engineer  Crank  had  been  at  work  with 
his  men  below,  and  now  reported  the  cargo-ports 
opened  and  the  sea  connections  prepared,  all  ready 
for  inspection.  I  went  below  with  him  and  found 
things  in  excellent  shape;  the  nuts  were  off  the 
bonnet  of  the  main  injection,  a  strut  held  the  bon 
net  in  place,  and  it  required  only  a  blow  to  knock 
the  strut  out  and  release  the  bonnet,  which  was 
under  a  head  of  about  fifteen  feet  of  water-pressure. 
The  smaller  connections  and  also  the  condenser 
discharge,  which  went  overboard  below  the  water- 
line,  would  be  readily  cut  in  two  by  the  blow  of  an 
ax.  All  openings,  hatches,  manhole  covers,  etc., 
were  opened.  At  Mr.  Crank's  suggestion  we  had 
already  admitted  about  seven  hundred  tons  of  water 
to  the  double  bottom.  Lieutenant  Grilmer  of  the 
Merrimac,  who  had  been  lending  a  hand  during  the 
day,  took  charge  of  the  stern-anchors.  As  soon  as 
these  should  be  lashed  together  and  slung  over  the 
side,  and  the  chain  bent  on  and  ranged  clear, 
the  boatswain  was  to  take  most  of  the  men  to  get 
the  bower-anchor  over  and  put  on  the  stops  and 
hawsers.  The  gunner  and  his  own  men  and  the 
dynamo-men  were  leading  the  wires  to  the  positions 
on  the  rail,  ready  to  connect  with  the  short  lengths 
coming  out  of  the  torpedoes.  Last  of  all,  the  tor 
pedoes  were  to  be  attached  and  secured  to  belt- 

51 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC' 

line  and  hogging-lines  at  the  height  of  the  rail, 
where  it  was  intended  they  should  remain  for 
inspection  by  the  admiral. 

I  had  hoped  to  report  the  vessel  ready  by  mid 
night  (June  1-2),  but  this  hope  had  been  abandoned. 
Toward  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  the  different  tasks 
were  advancing  concurrently,  and  there  seemed  to 
be  a  fighting  chance  of  being  ready  before  moon- 
set,  when  the  gunner  reported  an  insufficient  quan 
tity  of  wire ;  a  mistake  had  been  made  in  the  quan 
tity  supposed  to  be  at  hand.  The  New  York  had 
remained  near  us,  and  I  hailed  for  her  steam-launch 
and  went  on  board,  but  no  wire  was  to  be  found. 
The  vessels  of  the  squadron  were  out  of  sight,  but 
a  Norwegian  steamer,  fitted  out  for  cable  service, 
lay  in  the  distance,  and  I  ran  down  to  her  in  the 
launch.  She  did  not  have  what  we  wanted,  but 
had  any  quantity  of  an  insulated  wire  that  would 
answer.  We  took  a  coil,  and  came  back  by  the  New 
York  for  items  of  which  a  memorandum  had  been 
left,  such  as  life-preservers,  boat  equipment,  signal- 
cord,  new  axes  for  cutting  the  anchor-lashings,  seiz 
ing-stuff  for  securing  the  torpedoes,  an  ensign,  etc. 

With  regard  to  the  ensign,  I  had  asked  Captain 
Miller  about  the  flag  of  the  Merrimac.  He  said 
that  he  had  already  considered  the  matter,  but  had 
found  that  the  strippers  had  taken  off  the  ensign 
and  the  contents  of  the  signal-chest,  and  even  the 
signal-halyards.  In  fact,  the  men  had  been  so 

52 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PKEPARATIONS 

keen  for  relics  and  souvenirs  that  nothing  seemed 
to  have  escaped.  He  said  that  he  had,  however, 
an  enormous  flag,  blue  field,  or  background,  with 
"Maine"  across  it  in  large  letters,  which  he  pro 
posed  to  have  bent  on.  But  I  was  particularly 
anxious  for  a  large  national  flag,  and  put  it  down 
on  the  list  of  items  for  the  executive  officer  to  get  us 
on  the  New  York.  I  was  a  little  afraid  they  would 
not  let  us  have  the  flag,  so  I  asked  the  executive 
officer  not  to  say  anything  about  it  to  Captain  Chad- 
wick  until  we  were  gone,  and  told  him  that  I  should 
not  hoist  it  while  running  in  or  while  doing  so  could 
in  any  way  affect  the  success  of  the  effort,  but  that 
I  did  wish  very  much  to  hoist  it  after  firing  the 
torpedoes,  as  the  vessel  sank.  The  executive  offi 
cer  was  not  convinced,  and  his  instinct  of  the  risk 
involved  was  true ;  for  though  the  captain  let  me 
have  the  flag  without  asking  any  questions,  and  it 
was  bent  on  the  halyards  at  the  bridge  ready  for 
hoisting,  it  was  never  hoisted,  for  after  the  work 
was  done,  and  the  Merrimac  was  sinking,  and  a 
strong  impulse  set  in  to  have  the  flag  flying,  it  was 
clear,  lying  at  the  muzzles  of  the  enemy's  guns,  that 
any  movement  to  hoist  it  would  betray  our  position 
and  cost  the  lives  of  us  all.  My  responsibility  for 
the  group  forbade  me  to  make  the  attempt. 

Before  leaving  the  New  York  the  captain  said  that 
we  had  drifted  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  to  the  east 
ward.  It  was  then  nearly  twelve  o'clock,  and  it 

53 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEBRIMAC" 

was  necessary  to  start  to  the  westward  without 
delay.  The  admiral  had  ordered  the  Mayflower  and 
one  of  the  other  vessels  to  place  themselves  on  a 
range  with  the  course  into  the  harbor,  to  serve  for 
a  starting-point. 

The  admiral  was  to  come  off  to  inspect  with  the 
boats  that  came  to  take  off  the  men  to  the  New 
York.  Montague,  the  only  member  of  the  volunteer 
crew  not  already  on  board,  came  off  with  me. 

While  on  the  Merrimac,  Mullen,  the  boatswain, 
had  asked  to  go.  As  the  letting  go  of  the  bow- 
anchor  would  be  especially  perilous,  with  the  run 
ning  out  of  the  chain  and  the  breaking  of  stops  and 
hawsers,  and  no  one  would  appreciate  the  danger 
better  than  the  boatswain,  he  was  accepted. 

About  the  same  time,  Charette  came  to  me  and 
said  that  he  had  put  down  his  name  with  the  volun 
teers  before  leaving  the  New  York,  and  he  hoped  I 
would  take  him,  for  he  had  served  with  me  when 
I  was  a  midshipman  on  the  Chicago.  I  remembered 
his  service  well,  and  good  service  it  was.  He  had 
been  in  the  dynamo-room,  and  was  afterward  gun 
ner's  mate,  and  was  the  very  man  to  help  with  the 
torpedoes  and  be  at  hand  for  anything  that  might 
arise.  This  left  only  one  more  man  to  choose — the 
man  to  cut  the  lashing  of  the  stern-anchor.  There 
would  be  advantage  in  having  a  man  who  could 
best  handle  the  men  in  case  Mullen  and  I  did  not 
appear.  After  consultation  with  the  executive  offi- 

54 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

cer  of  the  New  York,  Montague,  the  chief  master- 
at-arms  of  that  vessel,  was  selected,  and  the  crew 
was  complete. 

It  was  about  midnight  when  the  launch  reached 
the  Merrimac.  After  discharging,  it  was  sent  back 
to  the  New  York,  and  preparations  were  made  for 
getting  under  way.  It  had  been  arranged  that  we 
should  have  a  trial  spin  before  going  in.  Mr.  Crank 
would  remain  in  charge  of  the  engines  till  the  last 
moment,  having  a  good  head  of  steam  and  every 
thing  in  shape.  The  run  to  the  westward  would 
answer  for  the  trial,  and  directions  were  given  for 
a  full-speed  run,  at  the  highest  safe  and  sure  speed. 
We  were  under  way  by  half -past  twelve,  and  stood 
to  the  westward,  making  fifty-two  revolutions,  ap 
proaching  nine  knots.  The  New  York  stood  on 
also,  but  was  soon  left  behind.  She  had  the  steam- 
launch  in  tow,  and  apparently  could  not  tow  it 
faster  without  losing  it. 

The  last  few  hours  had  seen  large  progress  all 
along  the  line.  The  stern-anchor  was  over  the 
side,  and  the  chain  was  being  bent  on  and  ranged 
clear.  It  was  so  situated  that  in  coming  under 
strain  it  would  tear  the  bulwarks  out,  tear  up  the 
hatch-coaming,  and  bring  up  against  the  mainmast. 
With  the  length  of  chain  extending  to  the  chain- 
lockers  at  the  bow,  large  elasticity  would  be  ob 
tained.  The  bower-anchor  was  over  the  bow,  slung 
and  lashed;  breaking-stops  were  being  put  on, 

55 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKEMAC" 

eight  stops  between  forty  and  sixty  fathoms; 
and  the  hawser  was  in  place.  It  was  not  prac 
ticable  to  take  the  hawser  over  the  deck-house,  as 
it  was  only  about  seventy-five  feet  long ;  so  another 
of  the  same  length  was  added,  both  to  be  broken 
at  sixty  fathoms,  before  the  rigidity  of  the  anchor- 
fastenings  should  "  bring  up  " ;  one  of  the  hawsers 
carried  the  stops,  which  were  far  enough  apart  to 
allow  the  hawser  to  spring  back  and  recover  its 
elasticity  after  each  strain.  The  belt-line  was 
around  and  at  the  height  of  the  rail ;  the  hogging- 
lines  were  in  place.  The  gunner  having  reported 
that  at  the  final  test  on  the  New  York  the  battery 
could  fire  only  six  primers,  the  six  most  important 
positions  were  selected,  and  the  torpedoes  were 
secured  in  place  while  the  wiring  went  on. 

A  mist  had  come  over  the  moon.  The  coast-line 
was  obscure.  A  heavy  black  cloud  appeared  in  the 
southeast,  and  the  horizon  was  thickening  to  the 
south  and  southwest,  and  began  to  threaten  the  last 
hours  of  the  moon.  Soon  the  New  York  was  out  of 
sight ;  apparently  she  was  making  only  five  or  six 
knots.  Captain  Miller  was  sitting  on  the  bridge ; 
Deignan  was  at  the  wheel ;  the  ship  replied  well  to 
the  helm,  and  the  gallant  captain  told  about  her  steer 
ing  and  manoeuvering  qualities  and  other  virtues, 
still  expecting  to  go  in  with  his  ship.  He  had  let 
me  take  complete  charge,  and  I  had  not  thought  it 
necessary  to  tell  him  of  the  admiral's  final  decision. 

56 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

The  light  became  so  dim  that  the  headlands 
could  scarcely  be  made  out  with  the  night-glasses. 
About  two  o'clock  a  craft  was  sighted  ahead,  then 
another,  on  a  southwesterly  line  of  bearing  with 
the  first.  We  concluded  that  they  must  be  the 
range-vessels;  so  the  helm  was  put  up,  and  we 
stood  out,  to  turn  upon  their  line  of  bearing  from 
seaward,  keeping  on  the  range,  in  readiness  for  the 
start  after  the  New  York  should  arrive.  One  of  the 
craft  began  to  show  up  an  intermittent  light ;  was 
it  a  private  signal  ?  I  had  not  been  notified  of  any 
signal  to  be  expected  from  a  range-vessel,  and  gave 
no  reply,  but  kept  pointed  in  toward  the  craft. 

It  seemed  as  though  the  New  York  had  lost  us. 
It  must  have  been  nearly  three  o'clock  before  her 
boats  came  alongside  and  Admiral  Sampson  came 
on  board.  It  had  been  decided,  with  the  short  time 
remaining,  not  to  wait  for  his  inspection  of  the 
torpedoes,  and  the  hogging-lines  had  been  hauled 
down;  the  last  ones  aft  were  being  hauled  down 
when  he  came  on  board  and  inspected.  He  said  he 
thought  we  were  well  out,  probably  five  or  six  miles, 
so  I  asked  that  the  torpedo-boat  should  go  and  find 
out  what  the  unknown  craft  were.  When  it  re 
turned  it  reported  that  they  were  vessels  belonging 
to  the  press.  The  one  that  had  showed  the  light 
was  perhaps  simply  a  little  timid,  with  an  idea  of 
being  run  down. 

The  admiral  carefully  inspected  the  anchor  and 

57 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERBIMAC" 

chain  aft  and  on  the  forecastle.  Everything  was 
in  readiness  for  letting  go— blocks  under  the  lash 
ings,  with  axes  at  hand.  The  wiring  was  complete, 
and  responded  to  the  test,  the  firing-ends  being  on 
the  starboard  side  of  the  bridge,  ready  to  make 
contact.  Montague  and  Charette  had  led  off  the 
signal-cords,  and,  with  the  boatswain,  had  got  the 
life-boat  out  and  put  in  the  arms  and  equipment. 
The  boatswain  considered  that  the  boat  in  question 
would  tow  better  alongside  than  astern,  a  long  line 
being  got  out  from  forward,  another  from  abreast 
the  boat.  When  the  after  hogging-lines  had  been 
hauled  home,  the  New  York's  men  were  ordered 
into  the  boats.  Before  leaving,  Cadet  Boone  asked 
earnestly  to  be  allowed  to  remain,  but  he  had  to  be 
refused  like  the  others.  The  admiral  went  on  the 
bridge  to  wait  till  the  men  were  off,  and  was  the 
last  to  leave.  On  coming  on  board,  the  admiral  had 
gone  up  on  the  bridge,  and  as  he  spoke  to  Captain 
Miller,  I  heard  an  exclamation  of  disappointment 
from  the  latter.  Though  bitterly  chagrined,  the 
generous  captain  came  up  to  say  a  kind  word  and 
wish  us  success.  Assistant  Engineer  Crank,  who 
was  still  in  the  engine-room,  was  to  remain  on 
board  till  the  last  stretch,  when  he  was  to  be  taken 
off  by  the  torpedo-boat  that  would  accompany  us 
to  that  point. 

The  moon  had  now  gone  behind  a  bank  rising  up 
from  the  horizon;  it  must  have  been  beyond  its 

58 


THE    GOOD-BY   TO   ADMIRAL    SAMPSON. 


THE  SCHEME  AND  THE  PREPARATIONS 

setting-time  before  the  admiral  left.  When  I  had 
referred  to  the  lack  of  light  and  the  obscurity  of 
the  coast-line,  the  admiral  gave  reassurance  as  to 
the  conditions  when  we  should  be  closer,  based 
on  the  principle  that  the  intensity  of  light  varies 
inversely  as  the  square  of  the  distance.  But  the 
absolute  necessity  of  adequate  light  had  been  grow 
ing  on  me. 

The  admiral  said  good-by  with  a  simple  word  of 
kindness.  With  us  who  knew  him,  such  a  word 
from  Admiral  Sampson  would  outweigh  a  volume. 

When  the  launch  shoved  off  with  the  admiral, 
its  propeller  fouled  one  of  our  lines,  and  it  was 
probably  half  an  hour  in  clearing.  It  must,  in 
deed,  have  been  after  four  o'clock  when  we  finally 
started.  Dawn  had  not  tinged  the  east,  but  it  was 
certainly  near  at  hand.  We  started  up  slowly, 
then  at  full  speed.  The  life-boat  charged  out  from 
the  side,  ready  to  capsize.  We  slowed  down  and 
shortened  the  breast-line.  As  we  started  ahead 
again,  it  charged  back  and  forth  as  before.  It  was 
evident  that  the  boat  could  not  be  towed  at  full 
speed.  Time  was  pressing,  and  it  had  been  ques 
tionable  from  the  first  if  there  would  be  a  chance 
to  use  the  boat.  We  must  approach  at  full  speed 
for  success.  So  I  decided  not  to  slow  down  again. 
The  boat  plunged  back  and  forth,  then  with  a 
wide  sheer  capsized  and  broke  adrift,  floating  away 
bottom  up. 

61 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

We  were  now  clear.  The  men,  stripped  to  under 
clothes,  put  on  revolvers  and  belts  and  life-preser 
vers,  took  their  stations,  and  tied  the  signal-cords 
to  their  wrists.  Soon  the  vessels  of  the  squadron 
showed  up,  rather  to  the  eastward ;  then  we  caught 
the  outline  of  the  Morro  itself.  There  was  only  a 
short  distance  to  stand  to  the  westward  to  make 
the  course  for  entering,  north,  34°  E.  A  rose  tinge 
appeared  in  the  east;  day  was  breaking.  We 
should  find  ample  light  to  enter  by. 

Suddenly  a  hail  came  from  close  aboard  on  the 
port  side ;  the  torpedo-boat,  the  Porter,  came  tear 
ing  up,  and  Lieutenant  Fremont,  her  commander, 
announced  that  the  admiral  directed  the  Merrimac 
to  return.  It  would  not  do  to  disobey ;  but  would 
not  the  admiral  reconsider !  I  knew  that  light  was 
necessary  in  any  case,  and  felt  that  we  could  make 
the  entrance.  My  reply  was  a  request  to  the  lieu 
tenant  to  return  to  the  flagship  and  ask  the  admiral 
to  let  us  go  on,  as  I  felt  sure  that  we  could  get  in. 
The  Merrimac  did  not  slacken.  It  was  arranged 
that,  in  case  the  admiral  should  consent,  the  tor 
pedo-boat  should  have  four  red  lights  turned  on  the 
New  York's  signal-hoist.  I  told  Charette  to  keep  a 
lookout  for  the  red  lights,  and  we  stood  on.  The 
torpedo-boat  reached  the  flagship  and  started  back 
at  full  speed.  But  no  red  lights  appeared.  The 
admiral  was  inexorable.  We  should  have  to  wait 
another  day. 

62 


PART  II 
THE   RUN  IN 

Disappointment  at  the  recall— A  day  of  waiting— The  plan  of 
going  in  at  sunset— Two  elements  of  weakness— Mullen's  pluck 
—Kindness  of  officers— Good-by  to  the  flagship— The  look  of 
things— Rehear sing  the  work— Clausen  not  a  stowaway— Pre 
cautions  for  rescue— The  last  meal  on  the  Merrimac  and  final 
preparations— Making  for  the  entrance— The  firing  begins— 
Loss  of  the  steering-gear— Trouble  with  the  torpedoes— A 
crisis  off  Estrella  Point— Kelly's  narrow  escape— Beginning 
to  sink— Conversation  on  deck— A  focus  of  fire— The  final 
plunge— In  the  vortex— Clinging  to  the  catamaran — Admiral 
Cervera  to  the  rescue. 

WHEN  the  torpedo-boat  Porter  overtook  the 
Merrimac  and  delivered  the  admiral's  impera 
tive  order  to  return,  one  could  see  a  cloud  of  gloom 
and  disappointment  pass  over  the  men.  No  one 
spoke  a  word.  Every  man  lingered  near  his  post  for 
some  time,  not  wishing  to  make  the  effort  necessary 
to  get  into  a  position  of  comfort.  I  knew  how  the 
men  felt.  A  fearful  reaction  had  set  in.  I  re 
member  catching  hold  of  a  stanchion  on  the  bridge  v. 
and  leaning  my  head  back  against  it  as  the  ship 
swung  around.  Mullen  soon  came  aft,  looking  like 

63 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKIMAC" 

a  specter,  haggard  beyond  description.  Charette 
was  sent  down  to  tell  the  engine  force  that  the  run 
was  off.  Mr.  Crank  appeared  at  the  hatch,  stripped 
to  a  breech-cloth ;  he  was  expecting  to  go  in  with 
the  ship,  and  the  reaction  had  seized  him  also. 
The  situation  must  have  appealed  to  the  men  on 
the  torpedo-boat,  for  before  she  left  us  Lieutenant 
Fremont  hailed  with  some  kind  words  of  sympathy. 
I  told  Mullen  to  have  all  the  men  lie  down,  and  sug 
gested  that  he  do  the  same.  He  objected  for  his 
own  part,  and  insisted  that  he  be  allowed  to  relieve 
me,  and  that  I  lie  down  myself.  It  was  necessary 
to  give  him  a  positive  order.  The  reaction  took 
a  different  form  with  the  boy  Deignan.  Nature's 
fatigue  set  in.  Seeing  a  tired  look  come  over  him, 
I  took  the  wheel  and  ordered  him  to  sit  down,  and 
soon  he  fell  asleep  as  he  sat.  I  made  him  lie  down 
on  the  bridge,  and  he  went  off  into  a  deep,  motion 
less  sleep,  utterly  unaffected  by  the  hailing  and  the 
other  noises  that  set  in  later. 

We  stood  over  to  the  New  York,  steered  up  paral 
lel  within  hail,  and  stopped.  The  executive  officer 
hailed,  and  said  a  relief  crew  would  soon  be  over, 
but  asked  if  we  could  take  care  of  the  vessel  till  the 
relief  crew  could  get  breakfast.  We  replied  that 
we  would  take  care  of  her  as  long  as  might  be 
desired.  The  headway  having  carried  us  forward 
some  distance,  we  put  the  helm  astarboard  to  steer 
across  and  circle  back,  when  suddenly  the  New 

64 


.Randolph  Clausei 
Osborn  Warren  Deig 


George  Charette. 
an.  Daniel  Montague. 

Francis  Kelly. 
THE   MEMBERS  OF   MR.   HOBSON'S  CREW. 


J.  E.  Murphy. 
George  F.  Phillips. 


THE   RUN  IN 

York  started  up,  her  propeller-race  began  to  seethe, 
and  she  shot  by  us  at  full  speed.  We  looked  ahead, 
and  on  the  horizon  to  the  southwest  discovered  a 
craft  standing  toward  the  harbor.  Soon  the  smoke 
began  to  pour  out  of  the  New  York's  funnels.  The 
craft  stopped,  turned  about,  and  took  to  her  heels, 
and  a  chase  was  on.  The  quarry  was  fleet  and  had 
ten  or  twelve  miles'  start.  She  drew  hull  down  and 
then  disappeared.  The  New  York  stood  straight  on 
and  gradually  disappeared,  and  for  a  long  time  the 
two  columns  of  smoke  told  of  hot  pursuit.  The 
Porter  stood  out  at  full  speed  to  join  in,  and  we 
saw  her  cut  over  the  horizon.  There  would  be 
hours  of  chase  and  hours  for  return. 

A  scorching  sun  rose  high  in  a  cloudless  sky ;  not 
a  breath  of  air  stirred;  a  blinding  glare  came  out 
of  a  glassy  sea,  and  a  day  of  waiting  lay  before  us. 
Mullen  soon  came  up  again  to  say  that  the  men 
could  not  sleep,  and  to  insist  on  relieving  me.  I 
saw  that  the  poor  fellow  was  long  past  the  stage 
for  sleep,  but  it  again  required  a  positive  order  to 
make  him  go  down.  My  instructions  were  that  all 
the  men  should  lie  still  in  the  shade,  close  their  eyes, 
and  think  of  nothing,  whether  they  could  sleep  or 
not.  Before  long  Charette,  indefatigable  and  always 
thoughtful,  came  up  with  a  piece  of  canvas,  a  boat 
cover,  and  rigged  it  as  an  awning  over  part  of  the 
bridge.  It  was  actually  exhilarating  to  watch  him 
do  this  in  his  bright,  cheery  way.  When  the  awn- 

4  67 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEBKIMAC" 

ing  was  snug  he  went  below,  soon  reappearing  with  a 
bucket  of  water,  apologizing  because  he  had  not  been 
able  to  find  a  glass,  and  denouncing  the  strippers 
for  the  thorough  work  they  had  done  in  the  pantry. 
This  was  not  the  first  time  he  had  had  a  fling  at 
them,  for  coffee  had  been  in  fearful  demand  all 
night,  and  he  had  searched  high  and  low  again  and 
again  without  finding  a  grain.  The  only  articles 
that  escaped  were  some  cold  meat  and  bread  left  by 
the  officers  from  luncheon.  We  had  finished  these 
for  supper,  and  Charette  took  it  very  much  to  heart 
that  he  could  find  nothing  for  us  during  the  night. 

Mr.  Crank  reported  that  on  one  of  the  boilers  a 
gage-glass  had  given  trouble,  so  he,  Phillips,  and 
Kelly  stayed  below,  working  on  the  repairs  in  the 
hot  fire-room. 

We  remained  thus  till  late  in  the  afternoon.  The 
fleet  lay  off  several  miles  to  the  eastward  and  north 
ward.  About  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  the  Marblehead 
and  the  Harvard  stood  over,  and  a  boat  came  off 
from  the  Marblehead  to  get  the  effects  of  Captain 
Miller  to  put  them  on  the  Harvard.  Evidently  he 
was  to  go  North.  His  effects  had  been  put  on  the 
Massachusetts  before  she  left  us  the  day  before. 
The  boat  officer,  Ensign  Gherardi,  must  have  seen 
some  evidence  of  destitution,  for  he  inquired  if  we 
had  had  breakfast,  and  insisted  on  going  over  to 
the  Marblehead  to  get  us  something.  We  told  him 
that  what  we  wanted  was  coffee,  black  and  scalding. 

68 


THE   RUN   IN 

He  brought  off  a  steaming  bucketful,  with  plenty 
of  hardtack— a  superb  combination.  It  is  incon 
ceivable  how  revivifying  it  was.  We  had  been 
calling  aloud  for  hot  coffee,  even  those  of  us  who 
were  not  accustomed  to  its  use. 

The  hours  passed  without  further  incident.  A 
press-boat  passed  by  and  asked  to  come  aboard. 
The  Marblehead  asked  for  the  camels,  or  floats,  that 
the  Merrimac  had  on  board  for  use  in  coaling  along 
side  at  sea.  We  told  her  she  could  have  them  if 
she  would  send  her  own  men  to  get  them  out.  Be 
fore  young  Gherardi  left,  he  suggested  that  a  junior 
officer  might  be  of  service  and  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  go  in  with  us,  necessitating  again  the  duty  of 
refusal. 

Along  toward  one  or  two  o'clock  the  Porter  stood 
back.  Evidently  the  chase  had  been  brought  to  a 
finish,  or  the  New  York  had  demonstrated  her  ability 
to  attend  to  the  case  unaided.  We  signaled  the 
torpedo-boat  by  wigwag  to  come  within  hail.  The 
absolute  necessity  for  good  conditions  of  light  and 
the  lesser  consequence  of  any  difference  in  the 
chance  of  escape  had  become  fully  impressed  upon 
me,  and  taking  account  of  the  condition  of  the  men, 
it  appeared  that  it  would  be  best  to  go  in  about 
sunset.  When  the  Porter  arrived  within  hail  I 
asked  her  to  go  out  to  the  New  York,  inform  the 
admiral  of  this  conclusion,  and  request  permission 
to  execute  it.  She  said  the  New  York  would  be 

69 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC' 

along  in  an  hour  or  two,  and  little  if  any  time  could 
be  saved  by  her  going  back ;  so  she  stood  on  down 
toward  the  fleet,  after  being  requested  to  apply  to 
the  vessels  for  additional  electric  firing-batteries, 
so  we  could  put  over  the  four  torpedoes  left  off  the 
belt.  The  MarbleJiead  had  already  been  applied  to, 
but  had  no  cells  to  spare.  We  had  been  drifting 
farther  out,  and  the  Brooklyn  signaled  to  come 
closer.  We  were  only  waiting  for  the  MarbleheacPs 
men  to  get  the  floats  clear,  and  these  were  giving 
trouble.  The  New  York  appeared  above  the  horizon 
and  stood  down  toward  the  fleet.  Finally  we  were 
clear.  The  Marblehead,  upon  application,  had  sent 
over  a  machinist  and  a  fireman,  Phillips  and  Kelly 
being  still  engaged  in  the  repair- work.  We  stood 
down  through  the  fleet  and  rounded  to,  ranging 
parallel  to  the  New  York.  When  within  hail,  I  re 
quested  permission  from  the  admiral  to  go  in  at 
sunset.  The  answer  from  Flag-Lieutenant  Staun- 
ton  was :  "  The  admiral's  reply  to  your  request  is 
a  direction  for  you  to  come  on  board."  The  New 
York  sent  off  a  boat,  and  I  went  on  board,  leaving 
Mullen  in  charge. 

The  admiral  and  his  chief  of  staff,  Captain  Chad- 
wick,  listened  to  the  plan  for  going  in  at  sunset,  and 
seemed  to  regard  it,  as  well  as  the  idea  of  going  in 
after  daybreak,  as  involving  too  much  risk  and 
exposure,  cutting  off  all  chance  of  escape.  The 
admiral  having  refused  my  request,  I  suggested  a 

70 


THE   EUN   IN 

modification  that  might  reduce  the  enemy's  fire,  by 
having  the  cooperation  of  the  fleet.  The  plan  was 
that  the  fleet,  including  the  Merrimac,  should  form 
in  column  and  circle  by,  passing  down  as  far  as  the 
bearing  forming  the  course  for  entering,  each  time 
crossing  this  bearing  a  little  nearer  the  entrance, 
fire  not  to  be  opened  unless  first  begun  by  the 
enemy.  On  the  second  or  third  turn,  upon  arriving 
on  the  course,  the  Merrimac  should  break  from  the 
circle  and  dash  forward  for  the  entrance ;  the  whole 
fleet  should  open  on  the  batteries,  which  would 
doubtless  answer  upon  the  fleet;  and  thus  before 
the  enemy  could  recover  from  the  first  shock  and 
from  the  idea  that  the  manceuver  meant  bombard 
ment,  the  Merrimac  could  enter  and  do  her  work. 
After  consideration  the  admiral  decided  against 
this  plan  also,  holding  that  the  manoeuver  would 
cause  the  enemy  to  man  all  their  guns  and  be  in  full 
preparation,  and  that  they  could  divert  their  fire 
from  the  fleet  to  the  Merrimac.  Both  he  and  Captain 
Chadwick  still  regarded  it  wisest  to  make  the  effort 
before  daybreak.  I  represented  again  that  a  certain 
amount  of  light  was  absolutely  necessary  for  success, 
that  the  men  were  under  heavy  tension,  and  that  we 
ought  not  again  to  be  recalled.  It  was  finally  de 
cided  that  we  should  wait  till  the  last  hours  of  the 
moon ;  but  it  was  agreed  and  understood  that  if  I 
found  the  moonlight  too  dim  I  should  be  allowed 
to  go  in  after  daybreak,  without  fear  of  recall. 

71 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

Since  the  last  conference  with  the  admiral,  my 
instinct  had  set  more  and  more  strongly  toward  the 
two  elements  of  weakness,  the  danger  of  the  steer 
ing-gear  being  shot  away  before  the  time  for  put 
ting  the  helm  over,  and  the  fragility  of  the  electric 
batteries.  The  thought  of  the  steering-gear  being 
shot  away  had  been  haunting  me  all  day.  Inves 
tigation  showed  that  it  was  impossible  to  arrange 
for  steering  in  any  other  way,  and  I  called  the 
admiral's  attention  to  this  peril  as  the  only  one 
that  could  prevent  the  success  of  the  manoeuver; 
for  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  the  vessel 
should  be  pointed  fair  so  as  to  enter  the  channel 
without  the  use  of  helm,  and  for  this  good  light  was 
essential.  The  admiral  said  that  he  had  already 
thought  over  the  matter  and  fully  appreciated  the 
situation,  but  that  the  chances  were  against  the 
steering-gear  being  shot  away  so  soon.  In  view  of 
the  fragility  of  the  firing-cells,  the  gunner  was  sent 
over  with  additional  cells,  with  directions  to  put  on 
the  four  torpedoes  left  off  the  belt  the  night  before. 
My  conviction  of  the  inherent  weakness  of  this  part 
of  the  plan  was  so  strong  that,  as  a  last  request,  I 
asked  the  admiral  a  second  time  to  allow  me  to  take 
the  war-heads,  promising  that  I  would  not  use  them 
unless  the  belt-torpedoes  proved  inadequate  and 
they  were  necessary  to  success.  The  admiral  again 
refused,  using  the  same  words  as  before :  "  They 
would  blow  everything  to  the  devil." 

72 


THE   RUN   IN 

Besides  the  gunner  and  his  gang  a  deck  force 
was  sent  over  to  prepare  another  life-boat.  This 
time  I  decided  not  to  attempt  to  tow  it,  but  to  carry 
it  slung  from  a  cargo-boom  over  the  starboard 
quarter  below  the  rail.  The  idea  was  that,  instead 
of  jumping  overboard,  the  men,  after  finishing  their 
duties,  would  "  lay  aft "  and  rendezvous  abreast  the 
life-boat,  waiting  until  directed  to  get  in.  All  being 
ready,  the  suspending  line  would  be  cut  and  the  boat 
would  drop  adrift.  The  arms  and  equipment  and 
the  plan  for  handling  the  boat  would  be  the  same 
as  decided  on  in  the  first  instance.  Attention  was 
called  to  an  old  catamaran  at  hand,  and  it  was  slung 
over  the  side  in  a  similar  way  near  the  life-boat. 

As  soon  as  it  was  settled  that  the  entrance  was  not 
to  be  made  at  sunset,  a  relief  crew  was  sent  over, 
and  the  men  from  the  Merrimac  were  sent  on  board 
the  New  York  to  get  a  little  rest  and  a  hearty  meal. 
However,  they  were  unable  to  sleep,  and  cared  for 
little  refreshment  except  coffee.  They  were  beyond 
the  stage  of  appetite  or  sleep.  After  they  arrived, 
Captain  Chadwick  called  me  up  to  say  that  he  had 
seen  Mullen,  and  there  was  no  question  about  his 
being  utterly  exhausted.  I  had  feared  as  much, 
for  he  had  been  working  all  night  and  the  previous 
day,  missing  four  successive  meals.  It  is  difficult 
for  one  not  present  to  conceive  the  fearful  condi 
tions  of  strain,  mental  and  physical,  that  Mullen 
was  under  when  we  were  fighting  against  time  in 

73 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

the  preparation  of  anchors  and  chains.  With  the 
prolongation  of  anxiety,  and  without  ability  to  rest, 
he  had  almost  passed  the  limit  of  human  endurance. 
But  he  was  game  to  the  end,  and  would  not  give 
up.  It  required  an  imperative  order  from  Captain 
Chadwick  to  keep  him  back. 

It  now  became  a  question  of  selecting  a  man  in 
his  place.  When  the  Iowa  sent  her  long  list  of 
volunteers  and  learned  that  so  few  men  were  re 
quired,  she  selected  one  man  from  all  the  number 
—Murphy,  cockswain.  There  can  be  no  question 
about  a  man  whom  a  ship's  company  singles  out 
to  be  its  representative.  It  was  decided  to  take 
Murphy,  and  I  was  to  determine  after  seeing  him 
whether  to  intrust  to  him  Mullen's  perilous  duty. 
Signal  was  made  to  the  Iowa  to  send  him  over. 

All  remaining  details  were  attended  to.  The 
executive  officer  of  the  New  York  thoughtfully 
directed  a  basket  of  provisions  and  a  bucket  of 
strong  coffee  to  be  ready.  The  fleet  surgeon  pre 
pared  two  canteens  of  medicated  water.  A  short 
while  remained  before  the  time  for  leaving,  and  I 
went  below  for  a  shower-bath.  It  was  deeply 
touching  to  see  the  kindness  and  thoughtfulness 
shown  on  all  sides.  The  caterer  had  directed  the 
steward's  special  preparation  of  coffee,  and  a  cup, 
black  and  steaming,  was  kept  ready  on  the  table 
for  the  moment  of  coming  below.  The  orderly 
came  down  to  say  that  Captain  Chadwick  would  be 

74 


THE   KUN   IN 

happy  to  have  me  join  him  in  a  late  afternoon 
luncheon— most  thoughtful  and  opportune,  for  I 
should  be  leaving  about  the  dinner-hour.  One 
officer  had  just  received  some  specially  fine  lemons 
and  oranges :  I  must  try  them  and  take  some  along. 
Another  had  a  handsome  brace  of  pistols:  surely 
they  would  be  better  than  the  bulky  service  re 
volver.  Still  another  had  a  special  cordial  with  vir 
tues  all  its  own :  might  he  not  put  up  a  bottle !  Cap 
tain  Miller,  who  had  been  assigned  to  my  state-room, 
was  foremost  in  cordiality  and  expressions  of  kind 
ness.  But  most  touching  was  the  solicitude  of 
Captain  Chadwick.  He  did  not  wish  me  to  talk, 
for  it  would  require  exertion.  I  must  sit  down, 
though  he  and  the  admiral  were  standing.  I  must 
lie  down  and  sleep  upon  reaching  the  Merrimac. 
It  was  in  vain  I  assured  him  that  I  was  in  excellent 
shape,  with  pulse  normal,  nerves  steady,— if  any 
thing  a  tinge  phlegmatic, — brain  as  clear  as  a  bell — 
in  fact,  only  in  "  second  wind,"  as  it  were,  while  the 
limit  of  endurance  was  not  in  sight.  He  would  not 
be  convinced,  and  even  threatened  that  if  I  did  not 
take  measures  for  resting  he  should  feel  like  advis 
ing  the  admiral  not  to  let  me  go  in  next  morning. 
In  fact,  before  leaving  he  delivered  strict  orders 
that  on  reaching  the  Merrimac  I  should  remain 
below  and  not  appear  on  the  bridge  before  one 
o'clock. 

The  crew  of  the  Merrimac  left  the  New  York  about 

75 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

six  o'clock.  The  admiral  was  at  the  gangway,  the 
last  to  say  good-by,  having  again  a  simple  word  of 
kindness,  a  hand-pressure,  a  look  that  spoke  more 
than  a  volume  of  words.  Cadet  Palmer  made  a  last 
plea  to  be  allowed  to  go,  saying  that  he  was  assis 
tant  navigator,  was  in  practice  in  taking  compass 
bearings,  and  would  be  useful  in  approaching  the 
entrance,  and  the  admiral  and  chief  of  staff  ap 
proved.  Such  was  his  eloquent  pleading,  difficult 
to  refuse,  but  the  same  reasons  held  as  in  the  other 
cases. 

As  we  went  over  to  the  Merrimac  the  vessels  of 
the  fleet  were  standing  down  for  their  night  posi 
tions  of  blockade  on  the  arc  of  a  circle  around  the 
entrance,  about  four  miles  from  the  Morro  as  a 
center.  Cadet  Joseph  W.  Powell  came  to  take 
charge  with  the  relief  crew,  a  pilot  being  with  him 
to  assist  in  keeping  the  Morro  located.  Upon  ar 
riving,  the  gunner  reported  that  three  of  the  tor 
pedo  connections  would  not  respond  to  the  test,  and 
in  consequence  there  were  only  seven  for  service, 
these  being  located  in  the  position  of  the  six  of  the 
previous  night,  with  the  additional  one  aft,  corre 
sponding  to  positions  numbered  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  and 
8  on  the  plan,  page  14.  Moreover,  he  had  found  that 
the  cells  would  act  with  better  effect  if  arranged  in 
separate  groups,  and  had  so  arranged  them,  with 
ten  cells  to  each  torpedo,  the  cells  lying  on  the  deck 
abreast  the  torpedo,  each  torpedo  having  thus  its 

76 


t 


II  it 


ENSIGN   JOSEPH   WRIGHT    POWELL. 


THE   EUN   IN 

own  independent  contact.  In  view  of  the  addi 
tional  security  in  not  having  all  the  cells  concen 
trated  in  one  spot,  the  arrangement  was  accepted, 
although  it  would  require  at  least  one  additional 
man  and  would  cause  the  firing  to  be  less  under 
my  own  control.  The  boatswain's  mate  reported 
that  the  life-boat  and  the  catamaran  had  been  ar 
ranged  as  directed,  and  his  gang  and  the  gunner's 
gang  were  sent  back  to  the  New  York  before  we  got 
under  way,  the  steam-launch  returning  to  remain 
with  the  Merrimac  in  order  to  take  off  the  relief 
crew  when  the  regular  crew  should  take  charge. 

In  the  launch  in  which  we  came  off  a  new  man 
was  sitting  in  the  bow;  some  one  said  it  was 
Murphy  of  the  Iowa.  I  looked  at  him  well  and 
felt  that  there  need  be  no  hesitation  about  giving 
him  Mullen's  duty. 

Powell  went  on  the  bridge  with  the  pilot  and 
took  charge.  The  Merrimac's  crew  were  directed 
to  lie  down  and  try  to  sleep  until  they  should  be 
called;  Powell  was  to  have  us  called  at  one.  In 
obedience  to  orders  to  rest,  I  went  into  the  bridge- 
house  and  lay  down  on  the  transom.  The  New 
York  and  the  Merrimac  stood  down  in  company  till 
the  New  York  reached  her  blockading  position.  It 
was  interesting  to  listen  to  the  sounds  of  the  en 
gines,  of  the  vessel  moving  through  the  water,  and 
of  the  voices  on  the  bridge.  The  two  ships  hailed 
several  times,  and  then  made  a  farewell  hail  as  the 

79 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

New  York  drew  off  to  her  position.  The  Merrimac 
stood  on  farther  to  the  southward  and  westward 
till  she  reached  a  position  just  outside  of  the  block 
ading  line,  with  Morro  bearing  about  northeast. 
Here  she  lay  motionless  for  several  hours,  waiting 
for  the  time  to  start. 

There  was  a  weirdness  in  the  situation  as  I  looked 
out  of  the  air-port  from  time  to  time.  The  moon, 
now  nearly  full,  rose  high,  and  reached  and  passed 
the  meridian  without  a  cloud  appearing  in  the  sky. 
The  Brooklyn  lay  off  to  the  northwest,  and  in  the 
reflected  light  looked  almost  white;  the  Texas,  to 
the  northeast,  presenting  her  shadowy  side,  looked 
dark  and  menacing.  The  other  vessels  farther  in 
the  distance  seemed  like  phantoms.  All  lights 
were  extinguished,  and  the  moon  was  supreme  in 
the  stillness.  The  mountains  far  back  beyond 
Santiago  were  scarcely  visible ;  the  peaks  closer  to 
the  westward  rose  high  with  a  distinct  sky-line. 
The  mountains  continued  landward  the  circle  of 
the  ships. 

Sleep  was  out  of  the  question,  so  I  went  over,  to 
the  minutest  detail,  the  various  features  of  the  work 
to  be  done.  The  torpedoes,  with  the  new  arrange 
ment,  were  to  be  fired  in  succession,  beginning  for 
ward  so  as  to  throw  her  down  by  the  bow.  After 
letting  go  the  anchor,  Murphy  was  to  fire  torpedo 
No.  1  without  further  orders.  Charette  was  then 
to  fire  torpedo  No.  2,  then  torpedo  No.  3.  Deignan, 

80 


THE   RUN   IN 

after  putting  the  helm  hard  aport,  was  to  "lay 
down  "  to  torpedo  No.  4  and  be  ready  to  fire  by  the 
time  No.  3  went  off.  An  additional  man  was  to  be 
selected  from  the  relief  crew  to  attend  to  torpedo 
No.  5.  After  stopping  the  engine,  Phillips  and 
Kelly  were  to  open  the  sea  connections  and  flood 
without  further  orders  and  then  come  on  deck,  and 
Phillips  was  to  stand  by  to  fire  torpedo  No.  6,  and 
Kelly  torpedo  No.  8. 

Those  were  hours  of  interesting  experience  before 
the  start.  There  was  no  diversion  of  the  senses, 
and  this  fact  and  the  feeling  of  loneliness  seemed 
to  deepen  the  impression  of  the  closeness  of  G-od 
and  nature.  My  business  affairs  had  been  disposed 
of  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and  I  had  no  dis 
quieting  thoughts  as  to  the  past  or  the  future.  The 
mind  and  heart  accepted  the  reality  of  things  with 
deep,  keen,  exquisite  delight.  There  were  singular 
emotions,  as  the  thoroughness  of  preparation  and 
the  sureness  of  execution  became  clearer  and 
clearer,  while  the  details  and  the  processes  were 
gone  over  again  and  again.  Toward  midnight, 
when  there  was  no  longer  any  chance  of  the  moon 
failing,  these  emotions  amounted  to  exultation,  so 
much  so  that  I  could  not  help  giving  it  expression. 
Charette  had  been  stirring  near  at  hand ;  in  fact,  a 
little  while  before,  when  some  one  in  the  darkness 
had  made  a  noise,  Charette  expostulated  in  a  vehe 
ment  whisper :  "  Can't  you  keep  quiet  there !  Don't 

81 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

you  know  Mr.  Hobson  is  sleeping  here ! "  I  called 
out:  "Charette,  lad,  we  are  going  to  make  it  to 
night.  There  is  no  power  under  heaven  can  keep 
us  out  of  the  channel !  "  He  seemed  surprised  that 
the  outer  channel  was  the  objective,  and  said  that 
he  and  all  the  other  men  thought  we  were  going  up 
into  the  harbor ;  that  the  admiral,  Captain  Chadwick, 
and  I  had  been  seen  consulting  the  chart  which 
took  in  the  inner  harbor,  and  they  all  thought  that 
we  would  go  inside  three  miles  beyond  the  entrance. 
Such  was  the  mission  for  which  these  brave  men 
had  so  ardently  volunteered. 

At  about  a  quarter  of  one  Charette  was  sent  to  call 
the  other  men  and  take  the  bucket  of  coffee  to  the 
fire-room  and  bring  it  up  steaming.  About  one  I 
went  on  the  bridge.  Powell  and  the  pilot  were 
walking  up  and  down.  They  pointed  out  the 
Morro,  just  discernible  with  the  night-glasses, 
about  five  miles  distant,  bearing  about  northeast 
by  the  compass. 

A  fine-looking  seaman  was  at  the  wheel.  I  went 
close  and  examined  him,  and  said  to  myself :  "  Un 
less  looks  deceive,  he  is  the  man  for  the  additional 
work  with  the  torpedoes."  Before  being  spoken  to 
he  asked  if  he  might  go  with  us.  "  What  is  your 
name  and  rate  1 "  I  asked.  "  Clausen,  cockswain  of 
the  barge,  sir."  The  rating  confirmed  my  judgment 
from  his  looks,  and  I  replied :  "  Yes ;  you  may  go. 
"When  relieved  at  the  wheel  you  will  be  given  your 

82 


THE   RUN   IN 

station  and  duties."  The  delight  in  the  man's  face 
could  be  seen  in  the  moonlight.  Clausen's  inclu 
sion  in  the  crew  was  thus  entirely  regular.  The 
report  that  he  was  a  stowaway  was  doubtless  due 
to  the  fact  that  he  was  not  in  the  original  crew  of 
six  determined  upon  before  the  rearrangement  of 
torpedo  connections. 

Powell  reported  that  the  admiral  had  directed  the 
steam-launch,  after  putting  off  the  New  Yortts  men 
on  the  nearest  blockading  vessel,  to  stand  in  toward 
the  entrance  and  stand  by  to  lend  assistance  to  the 
Merrimac's  crew  in  escaping.  This  measure  had 
been  suggested  by  me  because  the  admiral  seemed 
so  solicitous  about  our  escape  when  considering  the 
question  of  going  in  at  sunset.  I  had  suggested  the 
measure  only  in  connection  with  the  sunset  plan, 
and  made  no  further  reference  to  it  when  decision 
was  made  against  that  hour,  since  it  was  question 
able  whether  the  chances  of  escape  were  sufficient 
to  justify  the  exposure  of  the  launch's  crew.  Pow 
ell's  report  was,  therefore,  a  surprise.  It  was  too 
late  to  consult  the  admiral  again.  His  decision  in 
the  matter  must  be  accepted.  I  asked  Powell  if  his 
engines  and  fires  were  muffled.  He  answered  yes, 
that  he  had  put  over  canvas  covers,  that  the  launch's 
regular  crew  had  all  volunteered,  and  that  all  prep 
arations  had  been  made.  It  was  interesting  to  see 
his  own  delight  at  the  prospect  of  the  work.  We 
arranged  the  rendezvous.  The  launch  would  creep 

83 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

up  from  the  westward  and  watch  for  the  appearance 
of  boat  or  men.  If  the  boat  were  destroyed  and  the 
men  could  not  stand  out  against  the  tide  running 
flood,  he  would  endeavor  to  dash  across  the  entrance 
for  the  rendezvous  under  the  seaward  side  of  the 
Morro,  near  the  mouth  of  the  caverns. 

Charette  now  brought  the  coffee  on  the  bridge ; 
some  sandwiches  were  at  hand ;  all  the  crew  came 
up,  and  also  Mr.  Crank  from  the  engine-room,  and 
we  had  a  cheerful  breakfast.  Even  the  pipe  came  out 
as  usual.  About  half -past  one  we  "  turned  to,"  and 
the  men  went  to  their  stations.  I  went  the  round, 
fore  and  aft,  to  go  over  the  duties  with  each  man. 
Murphy,  on  the  forecastle,  was  given  the  same  in 
structions  that  Mullen  had  had ;  in  addition,  after 
receiving  the  cord  signal  to  cut  the  anchor-lashing, 
and  after  the  lashing  had  been  cut  on  the  starboard 
side,  he  was  to  pass  over  to  the  port  side  and  make 
contact  to  fire  torpedo  No.  1  without  further  orders. 
Murphy  listened  without  a  word  to  all  the  instruc 
tions  concerning  the  precautions  to  be  taken  in  view 
of  the  exposure  in  firing  the  torpedo :  for  the  fore 
castle  was  narrow,  and  while  making  contact  he 
would  still  be  in  danger  from  the  rushing  chain 
and  the  breaking  stops  and  hawsers ;  moreover,  the 
forecastle  had  no  bulwark  or  rail,  and  though  high 
above  it,  he  would  be  exposed  to  a  heavy  blast  from 
the  torpedo  explosion,  the  collision  bulkhead  being 
directly  beneath.  Indeed,  it  was  intimated  that  he 

84 


THE  RUN  IN 

might  be  wounded  by  the  explosion  even  under  the 
best  conditions  of  precaution.  He  examined  the 
lashing  and  block  under  it,  saw  the  new  ax  at  hand, 
found  the  end  of  the  signal-cord,  examined  the  wire 
ends  for  making  contact,  and  replied  simply:  "It 
shall  be  done,  sir." 

Charette  was  already  familiar  with  torpedoes 
No.  2  and  No.  3.  Deignan  was  taken  to  torpedo 
No.  4,  Phillips  to  torpedo  No.  6,  and  Kelly  to  tor 
pedo  No.  8,  and  each  was  instructed  as  to  the  firing. 
Montague's  duties  were  the  same  as  for  the  first 
run.  Deignan  relieved  Clausen  at  the  wheel,  and 
Clausen  was  taken  to  torpedo  No.  5.  Phillips  and 
Kelly  would  have  the  same  duties  below  as  pre 
viously  arranged.  All  were  instructed  about  the 
rendezvous  and  directed  afresh  to  lie  on  their  faces 
except  while  executing  work,  and  to  pay  no  atten 
tion  to  the  enemy's  fire,  no  matter  what  it  might  be. 

Good-bys  were  now  exchanged.  The  New  York's 
men,  Powell,  and  the  pilot  disembarked.  Just  then 
Mr.  Crank  came  up  and  reported  engines  and  boilers 
ready  for  the  run,  the  boilers  requiring  no  further 
firing.  The  launch  had  shoved  off  and  was  some 
distance  away,  and  Mr.  Crank  repeated  the  tender 
of  his  services  to  go  in.  It  would  have  been  wrong 
to  accept  them.  I  hailed  the  launch.  There  was 
no  reply.  Then  I  hailed  again,  louder.  Still  there 
was  no  reply.  On  a  still  louder  hail  it  stopped, 
came  back,  and  took  Mr.  Crank.  Then  it  was  that 

5  87 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEEKIMAC" 

this  gallant  engineer  left  the  Merrimac.  He  had 
not  gone  from  her  for  a  moment  during  the  whole 
course  of  preparations,  had  not  had  a  moment's  rest 
in  two  days  and  two  nights,  and  had  been  repairing 
the  boilers  and  putting  them  in  shape  while  the 
others  were  unengaged.  He  had  expected  to  go  in 
the  first  day  and  had  passed  through  all  the  experi 
ence  of  suspense  preceding  action. 

The  launch  headed  for  the  Texas  and  was  soon 
lost  sight  of.  Preparation  was  ended.  The  road 
was  clear.  The  hour  for  execution  had  come. 

The  Merrimac  was  heading  about  west-southwest. 
The  engine  telegraph  was  turned  to  "slow  speed 
ahead,"  the  helm  was  put  astarboard,  and  we  gath 
ered  headway  and  swung  round  by  the  southward 
and  stood  up  slowly  on  the  course.  The  moon  was 
about  an  hour  and  a  half  high,  and  steering  for  the 
Morro,  we  were  running  straight  down  the  reflected 
path  of  light.  To  clear  this  we  stood  to  the  east 
ward  of  the  course,  and  crept  along  obliquely  at 
about  four  knots.  Charette  was  sent  to  see  that 
all  the  men  were  equipped  and  the  revolvers  loaded. 
It  took  only  a  short  time  to  strip  off  uniforms  and 
put  on  revolver-belts  and  life-preservers.  Charette 
soon  came  back  and  reported  that  all  the  men  were 
equipped  except  the  two  below,  who  had  stripped 
to  breech-cloths,  and  who  asked  permission  to 
leave  their  revolver-belts  and  life-preservers  at 
the  head  of  the  hatch  on  account  of  the  inconven- 

88 


Drawn  by  E.  S.  Gielow,  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Hobson. 

PLAN   OP  THE   MANCEUVER  AS   EXECUTED   JUNE  3,  1898. 
EXPLANATIONS. 

1,  Position  when  engine  was  stopped. 

2,  Position  when  helm  was  last  in  operation. 

3,  Position  when  how-anchor  was  let  go  and  torpedoes  were  fired. 

4,  Position  when  struck  by  mine   explosion,  just  before   starboard  quarter 
grounded  on  Estrella  Point. 

5-7,  Positions  as  the  tide  wrenched  vessel  offEstrella  Point,  and  set  her  down 
channel  — vessel  gradually  straightening  out. 

8,  Position  when  sunk. 

Q,  Submarine  mines  unexploded,  mines  Nos.  9,  10, 11, 12. 

B,  Submarine  mines  fired  at  vessel,  Nos.  1,  2, 3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8. 

•3C-,  Submarine  mine  that  struck  vessel,  No.  5. 

••,  Automatic  torpedoes  fired  by  Relna  Mercedes  and  Pluton. 

NOTE. —  The  exact  location  of  mines  is  not  known.  It  would  be  perhaps  fairly 
accurate  to  subdivide  the  distance  between  the  extreme  positions  into  eight  equal 
parts,  following  the  middle  of  the  channel. 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKIMAC" 

ience  of  wearing  them  while  working  engines  and 
boilers. 

As  we  stood  on,  the  outlines  of  Morro  and  other 
shore  objects  became  clearer  and  clearer.  The 
blockading  vessels  were  miles  behind.  "When  we 
arrived  within  about  two  thousand  yards  there 
could  be  no  further  question  of  surprise.  In  the 
bright  moonlight  we  were  in  clear  view,  and  our 
movements  must  long  since  have  caused  suspicion. 
The  enemy  was  now  doubtless  on  the  verge  of 
sounding  the  general  alarm,  if  indeed  it  had  not 
/already  been  sounded.  The  orders  were:  "Full 
speed  ahead !  "  "  Steady  astarboard !  "  and  the  en 
gine  telegraph  recorded  prompt  execution,  Deignan 
repeating  in  firm  voice :  "  Steady  astarboard,  sir." 
The  vessel  responded  as  if  animated.  The  foam 
began  to  fly  from  our  anchors,  which,  slung  over 
bow  and  quarter,  just  trailed  in  the  water,  and  our 
bow  swung  round  to  the  northward  and  westward. 
"  Meet  her ! "  was  the  order.  "  Meet  her,  sir,"  was 
the  reply.  "  Steady !  "  "  Steady,  sir."  "We  stood 
down  toward  the  course  for  entering.  Charette  was 
sent  below  to  tell  Phillips  and  Kelly  that  we  were 
on  the  final  run  and  that  the  signal  to  stop  would 
be  the  signal  to  open  up  sea  connections  and  then 
"  lay  up  "  on  deck  by  the  torpedoes,  and  both  were 
directed  to  put  on  revolver-belt  and  life-preserver 
as  soon  as  they  reached  the  deck. 

Morro  drew  farther  to  starboard.  It  bore  north, 

90 


THE   EUN   IN 

then  north  by  east,  then  north-northeast.  We  must 
keep  clear  of  the  two-fathom  bank  and  not  over 
reach  to  the  westward.  "  Nothing  to  the  westward  ? " 
"  Nothing  to  the  westward,  sir."  Morro  bears  north 
east  by  north.  "  Port !  "  "  Port,  sir."  "  Steady !  " 
"  Steady,  sir."  "  Port  a  little !"  "  Port  a  little,  sir." 
Morro  bears  northeast.  "  Steady !  "  "  Steady,  sir." 
"  Head  for  the  Morro  !  "  "  Head  for  the  Morro, 
sir."  The  night-glasses  showed  up  Estrella.  "  Can 
you  make  out  the  white  spot  to  the  left  of  Morro ! " 
"  Yes,  sir."  "  That  is  Estrella.  Steer  for  Estrella !  " 
"  Steer  for  Estrella,  sir."  The  swell  approaching 
the  entrance  might  tend  to  set  our  stern  to  port. 
"  Watch  the  helm !  "  "  Watch  the  helm,  sir."  "  Do 
not  let  her  yaw,  but  use  only  a  gentle  helm ! " 
"Aye,  aye,  sir."  Deignan's  whole  thought  was 
centered  on  his  helm.  He  seemed  to  forestall  any 
deviating  tendency,  and  the  heavy  collier  kept  as 
straight  as  a  handy  yacht,  and  on  we  drove  down 
the  exact  course.  Morro  drew  higher  in  the  sky, 
and  the  western  side  of  the  entrance,  though  dim 
as  expected,  showed  the  bald  spot  of  the  sea  battery 
on  top. 

We  were  within  five  hundred  yards,  and  still  no 
token  from  the  enemy,  though  the  silence  was 
ominous.  Ah,  we  should  make  the  channel  now, 
no  matter  what  they  might  do !  I  knew  how  long 
the  vessel  carried  headway,  we  were  making  nearly 
nine  knots,  and  soon  the  flood-tide  would  help, 

91 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

while  we  had  over  seven  thousand  tons  of  reserve 
buoyancy,  which  would  carry  us  the  required  dis 
tance  even  under  a  mortal  wound. 

Another  ship's  length,  and  a  flash  darted  out  from 
the  water's  edge  at  the  left  side  of  the  entrance. 
The  expected  crash  through  the  ship's  side  did  not 
follow,  nor  did  the  projectile  pass  over;  it  must 
have  gone  astern.  Strange  to  miss  at  such  short 
range !  Another  flash— another  miss !  This  time 
the  projectile  plainly  passed  astern.  Night-glasses 
on  the  spot  revealed  a  dark  object— a  picket-boat 
with  rapid-fire  guns  lying  in  the  shadow.  As  sure 
as  fate  he  was  firing  at  our  rudder,  and  we  should  be 
obliged  to  pass  him  broadside  within  a  ship's  length ! 
If  we  only  had  had  a  rapid-fire  gun  we  could  have 
disposed  of  the  miserable  object  in  ten  seconds ;  yet 
there  he  lay  unmolested,  firing  point-blank  at  our  ex 
posed  rudder,  so  vital  to  complete  success.  A  flash 
of  rage  and  exasperation  passed  over  me.  The  ad 
miration  due  this  gallant  little  picket-boat  did  not 
come  till  afterward.  Glasses  on  the  starboard  bow 
showed  the  sharp,  steep,  step-like  fall  with  which 
the  western  point  of  Morro  drops  into  the  water. 
This  was  the  looked-f  or  guide,  the  channel  carrying 
deep  water  right  up  to  the  wall.  "  A  touch  of  port 
helm ! "  was  the  order.  "  A  touch  of  port  helm, 
sir,"  was  the  response.  "  Steady !  "  "  Steady,  sir." 
Now,  even  without  helm,  we  should  pass  down  safe. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  crash  from  the  port  side. 

92 


THE   RUN   IN 

"  The  western  battery  has  opened  on  us,  sir !  "  called 
Charette,  who  was  still  on  the  bridge,  waiting  to 
take  the  message  to  the  engine-room  if  telegraph 
and  signal-cord  should  be  shot  away.  "  Very  well ; 
pay  no  attention  to  it,"  I  replied,  without  turning, 
Morro  Point,  on  the  starboard  side,  requiring  all 
attention.  The  latter  part  of  the  answer  was  spoken 
for  the  benefit  of  the  helmsman.  "Mind  your 
helm !  "  "  Mind  the  helm,  sir."  "  Nothing  to  star 
board?"  "Nothing  to  starboard,  sir."  The  clear, 
firm  voice  of  Deignan  told  that  there  need  be  no 
fear  of  his  distraction.  I  estimated  the  distance  to 
Morro  Point  at  about  three  ships'  lengths,  and 
wondered  if  the  men  below  would  stand  till  we 
covered  another  ship's  length,  two  ships'  lengths 
being  the  distance  at  which  it  had  been  decided  to 
give  the  signal  to  stop.  All  of  a  sudden,  whir! 
cling!  came  a  projectile  across  the  bridge  and  struck 
something.  I  looked.  The  engine  telegraph  was 
still  there.  Deignan  and  the  binnacle  were  still 
standing.  Two  and  a  half  ships'  lengths!  Two 
ships'  lengths!  Then  over  the  engine  telegraph 
went  the  order:  "Stop."  Sure  and  steady  the 
answer-pointer  turned.  There  need  have  been  no 
anxiety  about  the  constancy  of  the  brave  men 
below. 

The  engine  stopped,  and  somehow  I  knew  the 
sea  connections  were  thrown  open.  This  has  been 
a  puzzle  to  me  ever  since.  For  how  could  the 

93 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKKIMAC" 

bonnet  flying  off,  or  the  ax-blows  on  copper  piping, 
or  the  inrush  of  water  make  enough  noise  or  vibra 
tion  to  be  heard  or  felt  on  the  bridge,  particularly 
with  guns  firing  and  projectiles  striking!  It  may 
be  that  the  condition  of  expectation  and  the  fact  of 
the  fulfilment  of  the  first  part  of  the  order  suggested 
the  conclusion,  but  sure  I  was  that  the  connections 
were  open  and  that  the  ship  was  beginning  to  settle. 

"You  may  'lay  down'  to  your  torpedoes  now, 
Charette."  "  Aye,  aye,  sir."  On  the  vessel  forged, 
straight  and  sure  the  bow  entered.  Morro  shut  off 
the  sky  to  the  right.  The  firing  now  became  gen 
eral,  but  we  were  passing  the  crisis  of  navigation 
and  could  spare  attention  to  nothing  else.  A  swell 
seemed  to  set  our  stern  to  port,  and  the  bow  swung 
heavily  toward  Morro,  which  we  had  hugged  close 
intentionally.  "  Starboard ! "  "  Starboard,  sir." 
Still  we  swung  starboard !  "  Starboard,  I  say ! " 
"  The  helm  7s  astarboard,  sir." 

Our  bow  must  have  come  within  thirty  feet  of 
Morro  rock  before  the  vessel  began  to  recover  from 
the  sheer,  and  we  passed  it  close  aboard.  "Meet 
her ! "  "  Meet  her,  sir."  The  steering-gear  was 
still  ours,  and  only  about  half  a  ship's  length  more 
and  we  should  be  in  the  position  chosen  for  the 
manoeuver.  The  sky  began  to  open  up  beyond 
Morro.  There  was  the  cove.  Yes ;  there  was  the 
position !  "  Hard  aport !  "  "  Hard  aport,  sir."  No 
response  of  the  ship !  "  Hard  aport,  I  say !  "  "  The 

94 


THE   BUN   IN 

helm  is  hard  aport,  sir,  and  lashed."  "Very  well, 
Deignan,"  I  said ;  "  lay  down  to  your  torpedo." 

Oh,  heaven!  Our  steering-gear  was  gone,  shot 
away  at  the  last  moment,  and  we  were  charging 
forward  straight  down  the  channel ! 

It  is  difficult  to  state  just  how  the  steering-gear 
was  disabled.  The  Spanish  lieutenant  in  charge 
of  the  picket-boat  claimed  that  he  shot  away  the 
rudder  and  the  whole  stern  structure.  It  is  certain, 
however,  that  he  had  not  done  this  up  to  a  point 
within  half  a  ship's  length  from  the  position  where 
the  helm  was  ordered  to  be  put  over.  As  referred 
to  farther  on,  Montague  reported  a  large  projectile 
wrecking  the  stern  structure  as  it  cut  the  anchor- 
lashing.  This  shell  may  have  destroyed  the  rudder- 
head  in  addition.  Charette  reported  that  when  he 
was  examining  the  torpedo  connections  after  they 
had  failed  to  fire,  he  noticed  that  the  chain  that  led 
from  the  tiller  to  the  wheel  on  the  bridge  along  the 
upper  deck  had  been  shot  away.  The  steering-gear 
may  have  been  disabled  thus  in  any  one  or  in  all  of 
these  ways. 

We  must  have  had  four  and  three  quarters  knots' 
speed  of  our  own,  and  the  tide  must  have  been 
fully  a  knot  and  a  half.  What  ground-tackle  could 
hold  against  a  mass  of  over  seven  thousand  tons 
moving  with  a  velocity  of  six  knots  I  We  stood  on 
a  little  longer  to  reduce  the  speed  further.  A  pull 
on  Murphy's  cord  to  standby,— three  steady  pulls, 

95 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

—the  bow-anchor  fell.  A  pause,  then  a  shock,  a 
muffled  ring  above  the  blast  of  guns :  torpedo  No.  1 
had  gone  off  promptly  and  surely,  and  I  knew  that 
the  collision  bulkhead  was  gone. 

If  the  bow-chain  in  breaking  would  only  give  us 
a  sheer  and  the  other  torpedoes  proved  as  sure,  we 
should  have  but  a  short  interval  to  float,  and  hold 
ing  on  to  the  stern-anchor,  letting  go  only  at  the 
last  moment,  we  might  still  effectually  block  the 
channel.  An  interval  elapsed  and  grew  longer — 
no  answer  from  torpedo  No.  2,  none  from  No.  3. 
Thereupon  I  crossed  the  bridge  and  shouted :  "  Fire 
all  torpedoes ! "  My  voice  was  drowned.  Again 
and  again  I  yelled  the  order,  with  hands  over 
mouth,  directing  the  sound  forward,  below,  aft. 

It  was  useless.  The  rapid-fire  and  machine-gun 
batteries  on  Socapa  slope  had  opened  up  at  full 
blast,  and  projectiles  were  exploding  and  clanging. 
For  noise,  it  was  Niagara  magnified.  Soon  Charette 
came  running  up.  "  Torpedoes  2  and  3  will  not 
fire, -sir;  the  cells  are  shattered  all  over  the  deck." 
"  Very  well ;  lay  down  and  underrun  all  the  others, 
beginning  at  No.  4,  and  spring  them  as  soon  as 
possible."  In  a  moment  No.  5  went  off  with  a  fine 
ring.  Deignan  had  waited  for  No.  2  and  No.  3,  and 
not  hearing  them  had  tried  his  own,  but  had  found 
the  connections  broken  and  the  cells  shattered. 
He  then  went  down  to  Clausen  at  No.  5.  No  other 
torpedo  responded.  No.  6  and  No.  8  had  suffered 

96 


THE   BUN   IN 

the  same  fate  as  Nos.  2,  3,  and  4.  With  only  two 
exploded  torpedoes  we  should  be  some  time  sink 
ing,  and  the  stern-anchor  would  be  of  first  impor 
tance.  I  determined  to  go  down  aft  and  stand 
over  to  direct  it  personally,  letting  go  at  the  oppor 
tune  moment. 

Passing  along  the  starboard  gangway,  I  reached 
the  rendezvous.  Stepping  over  the  men,  they 
appeared  to  be  all  present.  There  was  Charette, 
returned  from  a  second  attempt  at  the  torpedoes. 
There  could  be  no  further  hope  from  that  quarter, 
and,  oh !  there  was  Montague !  The  stern-anchor, 
then,  was  already  gone.  If  the  chain  was  broken, 
we  should  have  no  further  means  of  controlling 
our  position.  Looking  over  the  bulwarks,  I  saw 
that  we  were  just  in  front  of  Estrella,  apparently 
motionless,  lying  about  two  thirds  athwart  the 
channel,  the  bow  to  the  westward.  Could  it  be 
that  the  ground-tackle  had  held  1  Then  we  should 
block  the  channel  in  spite  of  all.  I  watched,  almost 
breathless,  taking  a  range  of  the  bow  against  the 
shore-line.  The  bow  moved,  the  stern  moved— oh, 
heaven !  the  chains  were  gone !  The  tide  was  setting 
us  down  and  would  straighten  us  out  if  the  stern 
should  touch  first.  Oh,  for  the  war-heads  to  put 
her  down  at  once !  But  we  were  helpless.  I  said 
nothing  to  Montague  about  having  let  go  the  stern- 
anchor,— indeed,  gave  him  no  evidence  of  my  cha 
grin,— for  he  had  been  instructed  that  if  no  signal 

97 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEBRIMAC" 

came  from  the  bridge  he  should  let  go  a  short  time 
after  the  torpedoes  ceased  going  off ;  and,  moreover, 
the  signal-cord  from  the  bridge  had  been  broken. 
It  was  not  until  weeks  after  our  exchange  that  I 
ventured  a  reference  to  the  subject,  when  he  told 
me  that  he  had  seen  that  we  were  not  swinging 
athwart  as  expected,  and  had  not  let  go  the  anchor 
himself,  but  that  a  large  projectile  coming  from 
ahead  over  the  port  bow,  apparently  from  a  ship, 
had  exploded  aft,  wrecking  everything  in  the  vicin 
ity,  and  cutting  the  lashing  that  held  the  anchor ! 
There  was  nothing  further  to  do  but  to  accept 
the  situation.  We  mustered,  counting  heads,  and 
thought  all  were  present ;  but  we  must  have  counted 
wrongly,  for  after  a  minute  or  two  Kelly  came 
across  the  deck  on  all  fours.  He  had  done  his  duty 
below  with  promptness  and  precision,  and  had  come 
on  deck  to  stand  by  his  torpedo.  While  putting  on 
his  life-preserver  a  large  projectile  had  exploded 
close  at  hand,— he  thought  against  the  mainmast, 
-  and  he  had  been  thrown  with  violence  on  the  deck, 
face  down,  his  upper  lip  being  cut  away  on  the  right 
side.  He  must  have  lain  there  some  little  time 
unconscious,  and  had  got  up  completely  dazed, 
without  memory.  He  looked  on  one  side  and  then 
the  other,  saw  the  engine-room  hatch,— the  first 
object  recognized,— and,  under  the  force  of  habit, 
started  down  it,  but  found  the  way  blocked  by 
water,  which  had  risen  up  around  the  cylinders. 

98 


: 

; 


THE   RUN  IN 

The  sight  of  the  water  seemed  to  bring  back  mem 
ory,  and  soon  the  whole  situation  dawned  upon 
him ;  he  mounted  again,  and  with  heroic  devotion 
went  to  his  torpedo,  only  to  find  the  cells  and  con 
nections  destroyed,  when  he  started  for  the  rendez 
vous.  He  had,  indeed,  brought  his  revolver-belt, 
so  as  to  be  in  uniform,  and  adjusted  it  after  reaching 
us.  His  reception  must  have  seemed  strange,  for 
it  was  at  the  muzzle  of  my  revolver.  Thinking  that 
our  men  were  all  at  hand,  it  was  a  strange  sensation 
to  see  a  man  come  up  on  all  fours,  stealthily,  as  it 
seemed,  from  behind  the  hatch.  Gould  they  be 
boarding  us  so  soon  !  My  revolver  covered  him  at 
once,  and  I  looked  to  see  if  others  followed.  It 
was  not  until  the  revolver  was  almost  in  his  face 
that  the  unusual  uniform  showed  that  the  man  was 
one  of  us.  The  idea  of  the  Spaniards  boarding  us 
under  the  condition  seemed  ridiculous  the  moment 
the  man  was  accounted  for,  and  the  mental  pro 
cesses  and  the  action  taken  must  have  belonged  to 
the  class  of  reflex  or  spontaneous  phenomena. 
Charette  told  me  that  he  also,  when  he  saw  the 
man,  drew  his  revolver  with  the  idea  of  repelling 
boarders. 

We  were  now  moving  bodily  onward  with  the 
tide,  Estrella  Point  being  just  ahead  of  the  star 
board  quarter.  A  blasting  shock,  a  lift,  a  pull,  a 
series  of  vibrations,  and  a  mine  exploded  directly 
beneath  us.  My  heart  leaped  with  exultation. 

101 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEEEIMAC" 

"  Lads,  they  are  helping  us !  "  I  looked  to  see  the 
deck  break,  but  it  still  held.  I  looked  over  the  side 
to  see  her  settle  at  once,  but  the  rate  was  only 
slightly  increased.  Then  came  the  thought,  Could 
it  be  that  the  coal  had  deadened  the  shock  and 
choked  the  breach,  or  had  the  breach  been  made 
just  where  we  were  already  flooded  by  sea  connec 
tion  and  torpedo  No.  5  ?  A  sense  of  indescribable 
\  disappointment  swept  over  me.  I  looked  again : 
^no  encouragement.  But  ah !  we  had  stopped,  Es- 
trella  Point  had  caught  us  strong,  and  we  were 
steadily  sinking  two  thirds  athwart.  The  work 
was  done,  and  the  rest  was  only  a  question  of  time. 
We  could  now  turn  our  attention  toward  the  course 
of  action  to  be  taken  next. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  rendezvous,  I  ordered  that 
no  man  move  till  further  orders,  and  repeated  the 
order  to  Kelly  when  he  arrived.  The  order  had 
been  obeyed  without  murmur.  I  then  said  to  them : 
"We  will  remain  here,  lads,  till  the  moon  sets. 
When  it  is  dark  we  will  go  down  the  after-hatch, 
to  the  coal,  where  her  stern  will  be  left  out  of  water. 
Some  of  us  will  come  up  and  get  the  rifles  and  car 
tridges  from  the  boat.  We  will  remain  inside  all 
day,  and  to-night  at  ebb-tide  try  to  make  our  way 
to  the  squadron.  If  the  enemy  comes  on  board,  we 
will  remain  quiet  until  he  finds  us,  and  will  repel  him. 
If  he  then  turns  artillery  on  the  place  where  we  are, 
we  will  swim  out  to  points  farther  forward."  Such 

102 


THE   RUN   IN 

were  my  plans  when  it  seemed  we  should  remain 
on  Estrella  Point  and  sink  by  the  bow  with  the 
stern  out.  I  added :  "  Remain  as  you  are,  lads ;  I 
am  going  to  take  a  turn  to  reconnoiter."  I  wanted 
to  go  forward  to  hoist  the  flag.  "Please  do  not, 
sir,"  pleaded  Charette,  when  he  discovered  my  in 
tention.  "  If  you  go  they  will  see  you  and  will  see 
us  all."  He  was  right.  It  would  be  wrong  to  take 
the  risk.  There  might  be  a  better  chance  when  it 
became  dark.  "Very  well,  then,"  I  said;  "I  will 
not  go."  I  looked  over  the  bulwarks  to  observe 
again  the  speed  of  sinking  and  take  note  of  the 
enemy's  fire.  "  Here  is  a  chock,  sir,  where  you  can 
look  out  without  putting  your  head  over  the  rail," 
called  Charette.  The  hole  was  large,  just  above  the 
deck,  and  well  suited  for  observation.  It  was  doubt 
less  a  valuable  find  of  Charette's,  for  the  patter  of 
bullets  had  continued  to  increase,  and  now  repeat- 
ing-rifles  were  firing  down  on  us  from  Estrella,  just 
above.1  It  is  remarkable,  indeed,  that  some  of 
these  men  did  not  see  us,  for  though  the  moon  was 
low,  it  was  bright,  and  there  we  were  with  white 
life-preservers  almost  at  the  muzzles  of  their  guns. 
The  pouring  out  of  ammunition  into  the  ship  at 

1  While  in  prison  the  men  were  side ;  and  the  writer  was  informed 
told  by  Spanish  soldiers  that  the  by  a  Spanish  army  officer  that 
troops  of  the  Sixty-fifth  Regiment  troops  were  ordered  in  from  far 
were  lining  the  eastern  side  of  the  and  near,  a  detachment  from  San- 
entrance,  and  troops  of  the  Sev-  tiago,  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
enty-fifth  Regiment  the  western  arriving  only  as  the  Merrimac  sank. 

103 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE  "  MERRIMAC  w 


large  must  have  prevented  them  from  seeking  spe 
cial  targets  with  deliberation. 

The  deafening  roar  of  artillery,  however,  came 
from  the  other  side,  just  opposite  our  position. 
There  were  the  rapid-fire  guns  of  different  calibers, 
the  unmistakable  Hotchkiss  revolving  cannon,  the 
quick  succession  and  pause  of  the  Nordenfelt  multi- 
barrel,  and  the  tireless  automatic  gun.1  A  deadly 
fire  came  from  ahead,  apparently  from  shipboard. 
These  larger  projectiles  would  enter,  explode,  and 
rake  us;  those  passing  over  the  spar-deck  would 


1  Just  after  the  surrender  of 
Santiago,  when  I  went  in  to  assist 
Lieutenant  Capehart,  who  was 
detailed  to  raise  the  mines,  I  took 
occasion  to  look  at  the  batteries 
on  Socapa,  and  found  in  place  the 
following :  in  the  sea  battery,  two 
16-centimeter  (6.3-inch)  breech- 
loading  rapid-fire,  and  three  9- 
inch  mortars,  studded  system,  old 
pattern ;  on  the  slope  opposite  Es- 
trella,  one  Nordenfelt  57-millime 
ter  rapid-fire,  one  Nordenfelt  four- 
barrel  25-millimeter,  and  four 
Hotchkiss  37-millimeter  revolving 
cannon.  There  were  emplace 
ments  from  which  guns  had  been 
removed,  and  it  was  impossible  to 
tell  what  was  the  full  strength  of 
the  battery  when  the  Merrimac 
entered.  I  was  informed  that 
after  the  landing  of  United  States 
troops  a  general  redistribution  of 
artillery  took  place,  guns  placed 


along  the  entrance  being  trans 
ferred  to  the  defense  of  the  city. 
I  was  also  informed  that  the  bat 
teries  of  the  destroyers  had  been 
used  ashore  at  the  entrance,  but 
had  been  put  back  on  the  boats 
before  they  left  the  harbor  on 
July  3. 

It  may  be  added  that  eight  ob 
servation  mines  were  found  to 
have  been  fired  at  the  Merrimac 
—all  of  the  six  from  the  Estrella 
station,  and  two  of  the  six  from 
the  Socapa  station,  leaving  only 
four,  there  being  no  material  to 
replace  the  ones  fired.  Powell 
in  his  report  of  his  observations 
speaks  of  seeing  seven  simulta 
neous  columns  of  water  as  from 
torpedoes.  As  only  two  of  my  tor 
pedoes  went  off,  and  at  different 
times,  this  would  indicate  that  six 
of  these  must  have  been  from  the 
Estrella  station  mines. 


104 


THE  RUN  IN 

apparently  pass  through  the  deck-house,  far  enough 
away  to  cause  them  to  explode  just  in  front  of  us. 
All  firing  was  at  point-blank  range,  at  a  target  that 
could  hardly  be  missed,  the  Socapa  batteries  with 
plunging  fire,  the  ships'  batteries  with  horizontal 
fire.  The  striking  projectiles  and  flying  fragments 
produced  a  grinding  sound,  with  a  fine  ring  in  it  of 
steel  on  steel. 

The  deck  vibrated  heavily,  and  we  felt  the  full 
effect,  lying,  as  we  were,  full-length  on  our  faces. 
At  each  instant  it  seemed  that  certainly  the  next 
would  bring  a  projectile  among  us.  The  impulse 
surged  strong  to  get  away  from  a  place  where  re 
maining  seemed  death,  and  the  men  suggested  tak 
ing  to  the  boat  and  jumping  overboard;  but  I 
knew  that  any  object  leaving  the  ship  would  be 
seen,  and  to  be  seen  was  certain  death,  and,  there 
fore,  I  directed  all  to  remain  motionless.  The  test 
of  discipline  was  severe,  but  not  a  man  moved,  not 
even  when  a  projectile  plunged  into  the  boiler,  and 
a  rush  of  steam  came  up  the  deck  not  far  from 
where  we  lay.  The  men  expected  a  boiler  explo 
sion,  but  accepted  my  assurance  that  it  would  be 
only  a  steam-escape.  While  lying  thus,  a  singular 
physiological  phenomenon  occurred.  After  a  few 
minutes,  one  of  the  men  asked  for  the  canteen, 
saying  that  his  lips  had  begun  to  parch ;  then  an 
other  asked,  then  another,  and  it  was  passed  about 
to  all.  Only  a  few  minutes  had  elapsed  when  they 
6  107 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

all  asked  again,  and  I  felt  my  own  lips  begin  t.o 
parch  and  my  mouth  to  get  dry.  It  seemed  very 
singular,  so  I  felt  my  pulse,  and  found  it  entirely 
normal,  and  took  account  of  the  state  of  the  nervous 
system.  It  was,  if  anything,  more  phlegmatic  than 
usual,  observation  and  reason  taking  account  of 
the  conditions  without  the  participation  of  the 
emotions.  Projectiles,  indeed,  were  every  moment 
expected  among  us,  but  they  would  have  been  taken 
in  the  same  way.  Eeason  took  account  of  proba 
bilities,  and,  according  to  the  direction  of  the  men's 
bodies  with  regard  to  the  line  of  fire  from  the  ships' 
guns,  I  waited  to  see  one  man's  leg,  another  man's 
shoulder,  the  top  of  another  man's  head,  taken  off. 
I  looked  for  my  own  body  to  be  cut  in  two  diago 
nally,  from  the  left  hip  upward,  and  wondered  for 
a  moment  what  the  sensation  would  be.  Not  hav 
ing  pockets,  tourniquets  had  been  carried  loosely 
around  my  left  arm,  and  a  roll  of  antiseptic  lint 
was  held  in  my  left  hand.  These  were  placed  in 
readiness. 

We  must  have  remained  thus  for  eight  or  ten 
minutes,  while  the  guns  fired  ammunition  as  in  a 
proving-ground  test  for  speed.  I  was  looking  out 
of  the  chock,  when  it  seemed  that  we  were  moving. 
A  range  was  taken  on  the  shore.  Yes,  the  bow 
moved.  Sunk  deep,  the  tide  was  driving  it  on  and 
straightening  us  out.  My  heart  sank.  Oh,  for  the 
war-heads !  Why  did  not  the  admiral  let  us  have 

108 


ON   THE    DECK    OF    THE    "  MERRIMAC.' 


THE  BUN  IN 

them !  The  tide  wrenched  us  off  Estrella,  straight 
ened  us  out,  and  set  us  right  down  the  channel 
toward  the  part  where  its  width  increases.  Though 
sinking  fast,  there  still  remained  considerable  free 
board,  which  would  admit  of  our  going  some  dis 
tance,  and  we  were  utterly  helpless  to  hasten  the 
sinking. 

A  great  wave  of  disappointment  set  over  me ;  it 
was  anguish  as  intense  as  the  exultation  a  few 
minutes  before.  On  the  tide  set  us,  as  straight  as 
a  pilot  and  tugboats  could  have  guided.  Socapa 
station  fired  two  mines,  but,  alas !  they  missed  us, 
and  we  approached  the  bight  leading  to  Churruca 
Point  to  the  right,  and  the  bight  cutting  off  Smith 
Cay  from  Socapa  on  the  left,  causing  the  enlarge 
ment  of  the  channel.  I  saw  with  dismay  that  it 
was  no  longer  possible  to  block  completely.  The 
Merrimac  gave  a  premonitory  lurch,  then  staggered 
to  port  in  a  death-throe.  The  bow  almost  fell,  it 
sank  so  rapidly.  We  crossed  the  keel-line  of  a  vessel 
removed  a  few  hundred  feet  away,  behind  Socapa ; 
it  was  the  Edna  Mercedes.  Her  bow  torpedoes 
bore  on  us.  Ah !  to  the  right  the  Pluton  was  coming 
up  from  the  bight,  her  torpedoes  bearing.  But, 
alas !  cruiser  and  destroyer  were  both  too  late  to  help 
us.  They  were  only  in  at  the  death.1 

1  It  was  found  that  the  Eeina  afterward  that  the  Pluton  had  fired 
Mercedes  fired  both  bow  torpedoes,  her  torpedoes.  The  day  following 
and  Admiral  Cervera  informed  me  our  entrance,  two  automobile  tor- 

111 


THE  SINKING  OF  THE  "MERKIMAC" 

The  stricken  vessel  now  reeled  to  port.  Some 
one  said :  "  She  is  going  to  turn  over  on  us,  sir,"  to 
which  I  replied :  "  No ;  she  will  right  herself  in  sink 
ing,  and  we  shall  be  the  last  spot  to  go  under." 
The  firing  suddenly  ceased.  The  vessel  lowered 
her  head  like  a  faithful  animal,  proudly  aware  of 
its  sacrifice,  bowed  below  the  surface,  and  plunged 
forward.  The  stern  rose  and  heeled  heavily;  it 
stood  for  a  moment,  shuddering,  then  started  down 
ward,  righting  as  it  went. 

A  great  rush  of  water  came  up  the  gangway, 
1  seething  and  gurgling  out  of  the  deck.  The  mass 
was  whirling  from  right  to  left  "  against  the  sun"; 
it  seized  us  and  threw  us  against  the  bulwarks,  then 
over  the  rail.  Two  were  swept  forward  as  if  by  a 
momentary  recession,  and  one  was  carried  down 
into  a  coal-bunker — luckless  Kelly.  In  a  moment, 
however,  with  increased  force,  the  water  shot  him 
up  out  of  the  same  hole  and  swept  him  among  us. 
The  bulwarks  disappeared.  A  sweeping  vortex 
whirled  above.  We  charged  about  with  casks,  cans, 
and  spars,  the  incomplete  stripping  having  left 
quantities  on  the  deck.  The  life-preservers  stood 
us  in  good  stead,  preventing  chests  from  being 
crushed,  as  well  as  buoying  us  on  the  surface ;  for 

pedoes  were  found  outside,  having  of  the  automobiles  took  effect.     If 

drifted  with  the  current,  and,  what  they  did,  we  did  not  feel  the  effects 

was  remarkable,  one  still  had  on  where    we   were.      In    any   case 

the  dummy,  or  drill-head.  It  can-  they  could  not  have  appreciably 

not  be  said  positively  whether  any  affected  the  sinking. 

112 


THE   SINKING    OF   THE    "MERRIMAC." 


THE   RUN  IN 

spars  came  end  on  like  battering-rams,  and  the 
sharp  corners  of  tin  cans  struck  us  heavily. 

The  experience  of  being  swept  over  the  side  was 
rather  odd.  The  water  lifted  and  threw  me  against 
the  bulwarks,  the  rail  striking  my  waist ;  the  upper 
part  of  the  body  was  bent  out,  the  lower  part  and 
the  legs  being  driven  heavily  against  what  seemed 
to  be  the  plating  underneath,  which,  singularly 
enough,  appeared  to  open.  A  foot-ball  instinct 
came  promptly,  and  I  drew  up  my  knees;  but  it 
seemed  too  late,  and  apparently  they  were  being 
driven  through  the  steel  plate,  a  phenomenon  that 
struck  me  as  being  most  singular ;  yet  there  it  was, 
and  I  wondered  what  the  sensation  would  be  like 
in  having  the  legs  carried  out  on  one  side  of  the 
rail,  and  the  body  on  the  other,  concluding  that 
some  embarrassment  must  be  expected  in  swim 
ming  without  legs.  The  situation  was  apparently 
relieved  by  the  rail  going  down.  Afterward  Cha- 
rette  asked :  "  Did  those  oil-cans  that  were  left  just 
forward  of  us  trouble  you  also  as  we  were  swept 
out !  "  Perhaps  cans,  and  not  steel  plates,  separated 
before  my  kneecaps. 

When  we  looked  for  the  life-boat  we  found  that 
it  had  been  carried  away.  The  catamaran  was  the 
largest  piece  of  floating  debris ;  we  assembled  about 
it.  The  line  suspending  it  from  the  cargo-boom 
held  and  anchored  us  to  the  ship,  though  barely 
long  enough  to  reach  the  surface,  causing  the  raft 

115 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

to  turn  over  and  set  us  scrambling  as  the  line  came 
taut. 

The  firing  had  ceased.  It  was  evident  the  enemy 
had  not  seen  us  in  the  general  mass  of  moving  ob 
jects;  but  soon  the  tide  began  to  drift  these  away, 
and  we  were  being  left  alone  with  the  catamaran. 
The  men  were  directed  to  cling  close  in,  bodies 
below  and  only  heads  out,  close  under  the  edges, 
and  were  directed  not  to  speak  above  a  whisper, 
for  the  destroyer  was  near  at  hand,  and  boats 
were  passing  near.  We  mustered ;  all  were  present, 
and  direction  was  given  to  remain  as  we  were  till 
further  orders,  for  I  was  sure  that  in  due  time  after 
daylight  a  responsible  officer  would  come  out  to 
reconnoiter0  It  was  evident  that  we  could  not  swim 
against  the  tide  to  reach  the  entrance.  Moreover, 
the  shores  were  lined  with  troops,  and  the  small 
boats  were  looking  for  victims  that  might  escape 
from  the  vessel.  The  only  chance  lay  in  remaining 
undiscovered  until  the  coming  of  the  reconnoitering 
boat,  to  which,  perhaps,  we  might  surrender  with 
out  being  fired  on. 

The  moon  was  now  low.  The  shadow  of  Socapa 
fell  over  us,  and  soon  it  was  dark.  The  sunken 
vessel  was  bubbling  up  its  last  lingering  breath. 
The  boats'  crews  looking  for  refugees  pulled  closer, 
peering  with  lanterns,  and  again  the  discipline  of 
the  men  was  put  to  severe  test,  for  time  and  again 
it  seemed  that  the  boats  would  come  up,  and  the 

116 


SPANIARDS    SEARCHING    FOR    THE    £REW    WITH    LANTERNS. 


THE   RUN   IN 

impulse  to  swim  away  was  strong.  A  suggestion 
was  made  to  cut  the  line  and  let  the  catamaran  drift 
away.  This  was  also  emphatically  forbidden,  for 
we  should  thus  miss  the  reconnoitering  boat  and 
certainly  fall  into  less  responsible  hands.  Here,  as 
before,  the  men  strictly  obeyed  orders,  though  the 
impulse  for  safety  was  strong  to  the  contrary,  and 
sauve  qui  peut  would  have  been  justifiable,  if  it  is 
ever  justifiable. 

The  air  was  chilly  and  the  water  positively  cold. 
In  less  than  five  minutes  our  teeth  were  chatter 
ing  ;  so  loud,  indeed,  did  they  chatter  that  it  seemed 
the  destroyer  or  the  boats  would  hear.  It  was  in 
marked  contrast  with  the  parched  lips  of  a  few 
minutes  before.  In  spite  of  their  efforts,  two  of 
the  men  soon  began  to  cough,  and  it  seemed  that 
we  should  surely  be  discovered.  I  worked  my  legs 
and  body  under  the  raft  for  exercise,  but,  in  spite 
of  all,  the  shivers  would  come  and  the  teeth  would 
chatter. 

We  remained  there  probably  an  hour.  Frogs 
croaked  up  the  bight,  and  as  dawn  broke,  the  birds 
began  to  twitter  and  chirp  in  the  bushes  and  trees 
near  at  hand  along  the  wooded  slopes.  Day  came 
bright  and  beautiful.  It  seemed  that  nature  disre 
garded  man  and  went  on  the  same,  serene,  peaceful, 
and  unmoved.  Man's  strife  appeared  a  discord, 
and  his  tragedy  received  no  sympathy. 

About  daybreak  a  beautiful  strain  went  up  from 
119 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

a  bugle  at  Punta  Gorda  battery.  It  was  pitched  at 
a  high  key,  and  rose  and  lingered,  long  drawn  out, 
gentle  and  tremulous ;  it  seemed  as  though  an  angel 
might  be  playing  while  looking  down  in  tender 
pity.  Could  this  be  a  Spanish  bugle  1 

Broad  daylight  came.  The  sun  spotted  the 
mountain-tops  in  the  distance  and  glowed  on 
Morro  and  Socapa  heights.  The  destroyer  got  up 
anchor  and  drew  back  again  up  the  bight.  We 
were  still  undiscovered. 

Some  one  now  announced:  "A  steam-launch  is 
heading  for  us,  sir."  I  looked  around,  and  found 
that  a  launch  of  large  size,  with  the  curtains  aft 
drawn  down,  was  coming  from  the  bight  around 
Smith  Cay  and  heading  straight  for  us.  That  must 
be  the  reconnoitering  party.  It  swerved  a  little  to 
the  left  as  if  to  pass  around  us,  giving  no  signs  of 
having  seen  us.  No  one  was  visible  on  board, 
everybody  apparently  being  kept  below  the  rail. 
When  it  was  about  thirty  yards  off  I  hailed.  The 
launch  stopped  as  if  frightened,  and  backed  furi 
ously.  A  squad  of  riflemen  filed  out,  and  formed 
in  a  semicircle  on  the  forecastle,  and  came  to  a 
"  load,"  "  ready,"  "  aim."  A  murmur  passed  about 
among  my  men :  "  They  are  going  to  shoot  us."  A 
bitter  thought  flashed  through  my  mind:  "The 
miserable  cowards !  A  brave  nation  will  learn  of 
this  and  call  for  an  account."  But  the  volley  did 
not  follow.  The  aim  must  have  been  for  caution 

120 


THE    RESCUE    BY   ADMIRAL    CERVERA. 


THE   EUN   IN 

only,  and  it  was  apparent  that  there  must  be  an 
officer  on  board  in  control. 

I  called  out  in  a  strong  voice  to  know  if  there 
was  not  an  officer  in  the  boat ;  if  so,  an  American 
officer  wished  to  speak  with  him  with  a  view  to 
surrendering  himself  and  seamen  as  prisoners  of 
war.  The  curtain  was  raised ;  an  officer  leaned  out 
and  waved  his  hand,  and  the  rifles  came  down.  I 
struck  out  for  the  launch  and  climbed  on  board  aft 
with  the  assistance  of  the  officer,  who,  hours  after 
ward,  we  learned  was  Admiral  Cervera  himself. 
With  him  were  two  other  officers,  his  juniors.  To 
him  I  surrendered  myself  and  the  men,  taking 
off  my  revolver-belt,  glasses,  canteen,  and  life-pre 
server.  The  officers  looked  astonished  at  first, 
perhaps  at  the  singular  uniforms  and  the  begrimed 
condition  of  us  all,  due  to  the  fine  coal  and  oil  that 
came  to  the  surface;  then  a  current  of  kindness 
seemed  to  pass  over  them,  and  they  exclaimed: 
"  Valient e !  "  Then  the  launch  steamed  up  to  the 
catamaran,  and  the  men  climbed  on  board,  the  two 
who  had  been  coughing  being  in  the  last  stages  of 
exhaustion  and  requiring  to  be  lifted.  We  were 
prisoners  in  Spanish  hands. 


123 


PART  III 
IMPRISONMENT  IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

Generous  reception  on  the  Mercedes— A.  surprise  for  the  Spanish 
officers— How  the  news  of  the  crew's  safety  came  to  be  sent 
to  Admiral  Sampson— Reflections  on  the  result  of  the  ma- 
noeuver— Removal  to  the  Morro— Courtesies  from  Admiral 
Cervera— In  the  cell  of  the  Morro— Captain  Bustamante's 
kindness— "Every  man  would  do  it  again  to-night,  sir"- 
Comforts  from  the  British  consul— Astonishing  report  of  cas 
ualties  in  the  Merrimac  affair— Why  the  manoeuver  failed— A 
fancy  of  what  might  have  happened— Our  rations— Spanish 
and  American  soldiers  compared— More  courtesies— A  recon 
naissance  from  the  cell  window— A  midnight  intruder— A 
question  of  humanity— Supplies  from  the  fleet— An  official  in 
quiry—Thoughts  of  escape— Under  fire  from  the  American 
fleet— Inventing  a  plan  of  attack— After  the  bombardment. 

WHEN  we  were  all  on  board  and  had  laid  aside 
our  arms  and  accoutrements,  the  launch 
headed  about  and  stood  for  the  Eeina  Mercedes,  and 
I  directed  the  men,  who  were  shivering,  to  get  down 
near  the  furnace,  to  which  no  objection  was  raised. 
Not  a  word  was  spoken  till  we  reached  the  Mercedes. 
However  great  may  have  been  their  curiosity  and 
interest,  the  officers,  after  their  first  kind  words  of 

124 


CONTRAALMIRANTE    PASCUAL   CERVERA   Y   TOPETE. 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

greeting,  forbore  to  ask  questions  or  make  remarks. 
When  we  came  alongside,  the  senior  officer  asked 
if  I  would  be  good  enough  to  go  on  board  with  my 
men.  So  courteous  was  his  manner,  we  might  have 
been  guests  coming  to  breakfast.  The  officer  of  the 
deck  and  the  executive  officer  met  us  at  the  head 
of  the  gangway.  I  bowed  salute,  and  inspected  the 
men  for  their  condition.  Those  who  were  still 
shivering  were  sent  forward  at  once  for  stimulants 
and  friction.  Kelly's  lip  showed  a  wide  gash  that 
had  become  clogged  with  coal-dust.  Murphy  had 
a  wound  in  his  right  hip,  twelve  or  fourteen  inches 
in  length  and  perhaps  a  quarter  or  a  half  of  an  inch 
in  depth,  which  he  had  received  in  the  blast  when 
he  fired  torpedo  No.  1 ;  and  though  the  wound  cer 
tainly  must  have  been  very  painful,  he  had  not 
uttered  a  groan  or  made  any  reference  to  it  during 
all  the  time  that  had  elapsed.  It  was  only  after  our 
arrival  on  the  Mercedes  that  we  learned  of  it.  The 
men  were  all  more  or  less  scratched  and  bruised 
from  colliding  with  objects  in  the  vortex  whirl,  but 
there  was  no  injury  of  consequence,  the  life-pre 
servers  having  formed  excellent  buffers.  The  ex 
ecutive  officer  followed  the  inspection,  and  gave 
directions  for  the  care  of  the  men.  Kelly  and 
Murphy  went  to  the  surgeon,  and  all  were  given 
facilities  for  washing  and  were  supplied  with  dry 
clothing. 
We  found  the  crew  of  the  Mercedes  scrubbing 

127 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEBRIMAC" 

down  decks  and  clearing  up  after  the  engagement. 
Everybody  seemed  to  be  on  deck,  and  the  men, 
singly  and  in  groups,  stared  at  us  with  wild-eyed 
astonishment.  Our  unconventional  uniforms  had 
suffered  in  adjustment,  and  they  must  have  thought 
us  an  odd-looking  group  of  man-of-war's-men. 

The  men  having  gone  forward,  the  executive 
officer  invited  me  to  his  state-room,  had  a  bath 
prepared  for  me  and  clothing  of  his  own  set  out, 
and  invited  me  to  come  into  the  ward-room,  when 
ready,  and  join  him  at  breakfast.  The  oil  and  fine 
coal  that  had  come  to  the  surface  had  had  full 
chance  to  permeate,  and  made  heavy  bath-work, 
while  the  executive  officer's  civilian  clothing,  made 
for  a  different  build,  was  of  questionable  fit.  But 
the  difficulties  due  to  excess  of  girth  secured  the 
return  of  my  sword-belt  when  it  had  been  dried 
out.  Special  full  dress,  however,  could  not  have 
brought  out  a  whit  more  courteous  and  cordial 
treatment. 

After  a  hearty  hand-shake  of  congratulation  and 
repeated  kind  words,  the  executive  officer,  with 
thoughtful  reference  to  our  exposure,  ordered  stim 
ulants.  I  told  him,  however,  that  I  was  in  good 
shape,  none  the  worse  off,  and  that  the  breakfast 
coffee,  I  was  sure,  would  be  sufficient.  He  gave  me 
his  card :  "  Emilio  J.  de  Acosta  y  Eyermann,  Cap- 
itan  de  Fragata,"  adding  in  pencil :  "2°  Comandante 
del  Cruc°  Eeina  Mercedes,"  and  I  told  him  my  name 

128 


CAPTAIN   DON   EMILIO   J.   DE   ACOSTA. 
Killed  in  the  bombardment  of  June  G. 


IMPRISONMENT   IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

and  rank.  While  eating,  we  fell  into  frank  and 
general  conversation,  all  the  officers  except  one  hav 
ing  finished  breakfast.  Captain  Acosta  gallantly 
opened  the  conversation  by  saying  that  there  was  no 
reason  why  officers  engaged  in  honorable  warfare, 
though  opposing  to  their  utmost  in  battle,  might 
not  be  the  best  of  friends.  He  went  on  to  describe 
how  he  himself  had  directed  the  fire  of  two  heavy 
guns  against  the  entering  vessel,  though  a  large 
part  of  his  crew  were  absent  manning  guns  that 
had  been  put  ashore,  and  how  he  had  finally  sunk 
her  by  two  Whitehead  torpedoes  from  his  bow 
tubes,  remarking  that  the  mines  fired  at  us  seemed 
to  have  missed,  going  astern.  He  added  that,  of 
course,  it  was  an  unequal  fight;  that,  in  fact, 
it  seemed  to  him  that  we  should  have  known 
from  the  natural  formation  of  the  entrance  that  it 
would  be  impossible  for  a  vessel  to  force  her  way 
through. 

He  then  asked  what  battery  we  had.  I  had  just 
referred  to  being  on  duty  on  the  New  York,  and 
understood  him  to  refer  to  her,  and  in  reply  enume 
rated  her  battery,  mentioning  that  he  would  find 
it  in  any  of  the  naval  annuals.  This  seemed  to 
agree  with  what  he  had  concluded  was  the  battery, 
and  he  then  asked  how  many  men  we  had  lost.  I 
told  him  we  had  lost  none.  He  asked  where,  then, 
were  all  the  crew,  and  all  those  that  were  below  in 
the  engine-  and  boiler-rooms  and  magazines.  I 

131 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

saw  that  lie  had  been  referring  all  the  time  to  the 
vessel  that  came  in,  and  told  him  that  she  was  the 
Merrimac,  a  collier,  and  had  no  guns  at  all ;  that 
we  had  sunk  her  ourselves,  and  would  have  sunk  her 
athwart  near  Estrella  if  the  steering-gear  had  not 
been  shot  away  and  nearly  all  our  own  torpedoes 
disabled;  adding  that,  though  one  of  their  mines 
had  struck  us,  it  was  doubtful  if  it  had  assisted 
our  sinking  to  any  extent,  and  that  we  had  felt  no 
shock  from  the  automobile  torpedoes  fired  by  the 
Mercedes. 

He  seemed  utterly  incredulous.  The  same  ex 
perience  was  met  with  in  the  case  of  the  other 
Spanish  officers.  The  explosions  of  their  own  pro 
jectiles  must  have  been  taken  for  the  firing  of  guns 
on  board  the  Merrimac.  Some  went  so  far  as  to 
locate  two  heavy  turrets  with  two  guns  each,  one 
forward  and  one  aft,  and  a  battery  of  rapid-fire 
guns  amidships.  Apparently  the  facts  were  ac 
cepted  only  after  information  from  the  outside, 
derived  either  from  the  New  York  by  the  boat 
which  subsequently  took  out  a  flag  of  truce,  or  from 
the  United  States  via  Madrid.  When  we  had  fin 
ished  breakfast,  the  commanding  officer,  who  had 
come  to  the  gangway  when  we  first  came  on  board, 
came  into  the  ward-room.  I  was  introduced,  and 
he  gave  me  his  card:  "Rafael  Micon,  Capitan  de 
Navio,"  below  which  he  had  written :  "  Admira  al 
valiente  capitan  y  le  dona  gran  suerte."  I  told  him 

132 


IMPRISONMENT   IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

my  name  and  rank,  and  lie  expressed  surprise,  as 
had  Captain  Acosta,  that  a  constructor  should  be 
engaged  in  military  duty  at  the  seat  of  war.  It 
was  difficult  to  explain  to  him  that  our  constructors 
are  recruited  differently  from  those  abroad,  having 
the  same  military  training  as  line  officers.  We  fell 
into  general  conversation,  in  which  he  philoso 
phized  on  the  question  of  the  war,  pointing  out 
that  the  Cubans  were  ungrateful  and,  in  general,  a 
bad  lot ;  that  Cuba  itself  was  really  an  encumbrance 
upon  Spain;  that  it  was  recognized,  in  fact,  that 
Cuba  was  lost,  and  Spain  fought  only  for  tradition 
and  honor.  This  seems  to  have  been  the  general  x 
view  of  the  officers  with  whom  I  conversed  after 
ward.  These  observations  were  made  in  a  delicate 
way,  without  involving  the  attitude  of  the  United 
States ;  but  I  made  no  reply  to  them. 

When  Captain  Micon  left,  I  asked  for  writing- 
materials  :  for  I  had  concluded  to  try  to  communi 
cate  with  Admiral  Sampson,  with  a  view  to  getting 
information  sent  out  that  would  allay  the  anxiety 
of  our  families;  since  it  was  evident  that,  from 
their  observation  of  the  magnitude  of  the  fire  di 
rected  upon  the  Merrimac,  our  friends  on  the  fleet 
would  give  us  all  up  for  lost.  The  information 
was  directed  to  Admiral  Sampson,  and  the  Spanish 
cominander-in-chief  was  requested  to  send  it  out 
under  flag  of  truce.  The  two  communications  read 
as  follows : 

135 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE  "MEBRIMAC" 

To  Admiral  Sampson : 

SPANISH  SHIP  "  REINA  MERCEDES/' 

SANTIAGO  DE  CUBA,  June  3,  1898. 
SiE:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  the  Merrimac  is 
sunk  in  the  channel.     No  loss,  only  bruises.     We  are  pris 
oners  of  war,  being  well  cared  for. 

Very  respectfully, 

R.    P.   HOBSON, 

Assistant  Naval  Constructor,  U.  S.  N. 
Commander-in-Chief  U.  S.  Naval  Forces, 
Off  Santiago  de  Cuba. 

To  Admiral  Cervera : 

SPANISH  SHIP  "  REINA  MERCEDES," 

SANTIAGO  DE  CUBA,  June  3,  1898. 
SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  request  that  the  inclosed  com 
munication  be  sent  under  flag  of  truce  to  the  Commander- 
in-chief  of  the  United  States  forces  off  Santiago  de  Cuba. 
Very  respectfully, 

RICHMOND  PEARSON  HOBSON, 

Assistant  Naval  Constructor, 
United  States  Navy. 

To  Commander-in-Chief  Spanish  Forces, 
Santiago  de  Cuba. 

The  report  to  Admiral  Sampson  was  first  drafted 
to  read :  "  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  the  Mer 
rimac  is  sunk  in  the  channel— not  where  planned, 
but  the  best  that  could  be  done.  No  loss,"  etc. ; 
but  I  thought  that  the  additional  clause  would  be 
more  likely  to  prevent  the  delivery  of  the  commu- 

136 


REDUCED   FACSIMILE   OF   THE   FIRST   DRAFT   OF  THE  DESPATCH 

TO   ADMIRAL    SAMPSON. 
7 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

nication.  The  request,  in  fact,  was  a  singular  one 
to  make,  even  of  a  generous  enemy ;  but  our  recep 
tion  and  treatment  had  been  exceedingly  kind,  and 
it  was  evident  that,  unless  informed  at  once,  the 
squadron  would  report  us  lost.  When  the  letters 
were  turned  in,  Captain  Acosta  placed  his  state 
room  at  my  service,  showed  me  photographs  of 
his  family,  and  told  me  to  make  myself  at  home, 
insisting  that  I  must  be  tired,  and  should  lie  down 
in  his  bunk  while  he  went  out  to  attend  to  duties. 
Evidently  we  were  to  be  treated  kindly  as  pris 
oners  of  war,  and  would  have  some  chance  of  being 
exchanged,— if  no  chance  of  escape  should  occur 
beforehand, — and  should  then  have  further  oppor 
tunity  for  action. 

Left  alone,  my  first  thought  was  naturally  of 
home.  Then  my  mind  began  to  go  over  the  situa 
tion — the  condition  of  the  defenses,  and  the  effect 
of  the  sinking  of  the  Merrimac.  Probably  the 
Spanish  fleet  could  get  by  her,  one  at  a  time ;  but 
it  would  be  a  delicate  and  difficult  operation  for  a 
large  ship,  especially  at  night.  They  could  not 
stop  or  anchor,  or  make  any  formation  at  the  en 
largement  of  the  channel,  or  utilize  the  two  bights 
extending  to  the  right  and  left.  Ah,  they  were 
talking  about  this  very  subject  in  the  ward-room ! 
An  officer  had  evidently  come  on  board,  and  the 
conversation  had  become  animated,  so  that  words 
and  even  whole  sentences  could  be  heard :  "  But  he 

138 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MOEEO  CASTLE 

says  positively  that  the  channel  is  blocked  " ;  and, 
as  far  as  I  could  gather,  the  statement  appeared  to 
be  quoted  from  an  army  engineer  sent  to  investi 
gate.  My  heart  leaped.  Could  it  be,  after  all,  that 
the  channel  was  completely  blocked?  But  sober 
thought  again  reasoned :  "  No.  They  may  think  so 
for  a  while— may  continue  to  be  in  doubt.  The 
difficulties  and  disadvantages  imposed  may  cause 
hesitation  and  delay,  and  may  permit  of  further 
preparation  on  our  part;  but  when  it  becomes 
necessary,  pilots  can  surely  take  their  fleet  out  by 
daylight,  one  at  a  time."  Again  and  again  I  re 
viewed  the  situation ;  but  each  time  the  inevitable 
conclusion  came  back  that  the  blocking  was  incom 
plete.  Hard  and  bitter  was  the  thought,  beyond 
the  comfort  of  philosophy  in  its  assurance  that  the 
human  factor  of  the  problem  was  complete,  and 
that  the  element  of  incompleteness  was  beyond 
human  control. 

These  thoughts  had  continued  perhaps  an  hour, 
when  Captain  Acosta  came  in  to  say  that  an  officer 
from  General  Linares  had  come  down  from  the 
Morro,  and  that  the  prisoners  were  ordered  to  be 
taken  to  the  castle.  The  captain  said  that  he  was 
very  much  distressed— that  they  had  hoped  to  en 
tertain  us  on  the  Mercedes,  and  he  feared  we  might 
not  fare  so  well. 

We  went  into  the  cabin,  and  I  was  introduced  to 
the  officer.  A  formal  conversation  was  kept  up 

139 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

for  a  short  while,  when  another  officer  was  an 
nounced,  and  I  was  introduced  to  Captain  Busta- 
mante,  chief  of  staff  of  Admiral  Cervera.  I  said 
that  I  had  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Captain 
Bustamante  "in  the  launch  this  morning."  To 
which  the  captain  made  a  pleasant  reply,  and  then 
stated  that  it  was  his  duty  to  inform  me  that  Lieu- 
tenant-General  Linares,  commanding  the  depart 
ment,  had  taken  the  prisoners  from  the  hands  of 
the  navy  and  had  ordered  them  to  be  transferred 
to  the  Morro,  and  that  the  launch  was  waiting  to 
take  us.  We  found  my  men  already  at  the  gang 
way.  In  going  out,  it  was  discovered  that  no  hat 
had  been  provided  for  me,  and  the  nearest  officer, 
the  navigator,  charged  back  to  get  one,  which  was 
a  straw  hat  of  the  American  type.  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  entertaining  this  officer  afterward  on 
the  New  York,  two  days  after  the  surrender.  My 
men  all  had  on  dry  clothing, — Spanish  sailor  uni 
forms,— their  wounds  had  been  dressed,  and  a  good 
breakfast  had  been  served  to  them.  There  was 
something  touching  in  the  good-bys  at  the  gang 
way,  the  Spanish  officers  expressing  repeated  re 
grets  that  we  should  be  taken  away  to  the  Morro. 
When  I  was  thanking  them  for  the  kind  treatment 
received  on  board,  Charette  stepped  out,  and  re 
quested  me,  for  the  men,  to  express  their  thanks 
and  appreciation.  The  Spanish  officers  and  sailors 
seemed  surprised  to  see  such  thoughtful  courtesy 

140 


THE   AMERICAN   PRISONERS   LEAVING   THE    "  REINA   MERCEDES." 


Charette  (seen  in  the  background)  requesting  Mr.  Hobson  to  return  the  thanks 
of  the  crew  for  kind  treatment. 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

in  the  seamen ;  in  fact,  the  admirable  conduct  and 
bearing  of  the  men  throughout  the  term  of  imprison 
ment  was  a  continued  source  of  surprise  to  the 
Spaniards,  officers  speaking  to  me  from  time  to 
time  about  these  remarkable  men.  I  assured  them 
that  the  men  were  simply  types  of  the  American 
seaman. 

Captain  Acosta  shook  hands,  and  said  he  would 
come  up  to  see  me  in  the  Morro  and  bring  some 
reading-matter,  and  begged  that  I  would  call  upon 
him  in  case  he  could  be  of  service.  These  kind  pur 
poses  were  not  destined  to  be.  fulfilled,  for,  alas !  I 
was  not  to  see  the  gallant  captain  again. 

A  guard  followed  us  into  the  launch,  and  we 
stood  across  the  entrance,  passing  only  a  short 
distance  from  the  Merrimac.  Looking  at  her,  the 
conclusion  was  inevitable  that  the  channel  was  not 
completely  blocked,  and  I  felt  again  the  sting  of 
bitter  disappointment.  We  rounded  Estrella  Point, 
stood  into  the  cove,  and,  landing  at  the  small  wharf, 
climbed  the  steep  height  approaching  Morro  from 
the  rear.  We  climbed  slowly,  Captain  Bustatnante 
stopping  to  catch  breath,  and  gained  a  height  from 
which  stretched  out  the  entrance  and  Socapa,  Es 
trella,  Churruca,  Punta  Gorda,  Smith  Cay,  and  the 
opening  of  the  bay  beyond,  where  lay  the  vessels 
that  meant  so  much.  We  pushed  on,  and  there, 
close  at  hand,  had  a  full  view  of  Morro  from  the 
north— the  walls  all  black  from  the  weather  of  ages, 

143 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

a  very  type  of  the  medieval  castle  that  had  so  in 
terested  me  when  I  was  in  Europe,  telling  so  much 
dark  history,  and  hiding  so  much  more.  Why  were 
we  going  in  there  ?  Were  we  not  to  be  treated  as 
prisoners  of  war? 

On  top,  a  short  distance  off  the  path,  stood  an 
officer  in  frock-coat  and  white  trousers,  looking 
at  us  as  we  came  up.  The  captain  confirmed  my 
impression  that  it  was  Admiral  Cervera,  and  veri 
fied  my  identification  of  him  as  the  officer  who  had 
assisted  me  into  the  launch  in  the  morning ;  and  the 
young  officer  who  had  been  with  him  in  the  launch 
proved  to  be  his  son.  The  admiral  must  have 
dressed  hurriedly  in  the  morning,  for  in  the  launch 
I  had  not  noticed  any  insignia  of  his  rank.  As  we 
passed,  I  saluted,  with  the  captain,  and  the  admiral 
returned  the  salute. 

We  crossed  the  bridge  over  the  moat,  passed  the 
portcullis,  and  entered  a  vaulted  passage,  where  an 
officer  and  guard  were  waiting.  Captain  Busta- 
mante  spoke  to  the  officer,  apparently  the  adjutant 
—a  thick-set  man,  low,  heavy,  with  long  black  beard 
and  raven  eyes,  apparently  the  man  for  the  place. 
The  men  were  conducted  on  through,  and  the  jailer, 
with  a  ring  of  massive  keys,  led  me  to  the  left 
under  an  arched  entrance  into  the  guard-room. 
There  were  two  chairs  and  a  table.  The  jailer  made 
a  motion  to  a  chair,  and  we  sat  down.  He  was  a 
remarkable  man,— probably  six  feet  two,  all  bone 

144 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MOEEO  CASTLE 

and  muscle,  aquiline  features,  a  face  with  a  hard, 
set  expression,  that  seemed  never  to  have  been  dis 
turbed  by  the  passing  of  an  emotion,— the  man  to 
carry  out  orders  to  the  letter,  whatever  their  nature. 
We  sat  on  in  silence  for  a  few  minutes,  when  Ad 
miral  Cervera  entered,  and  we  rose,  and  the  jailer 
withdrew  without  a  word.  The  admiral  advanced 
with  outstretched  hand  and  with  an  inquiry  as  to 
my  welfare,  the  greeting  of  a  charming  gentleman 
and  gallant  officer.  I  felt  at  home  with  him  at  once. 
We  sat  down,  and  he  went  on  to  say  that  he  had 
received  my  note  inclosing  the  report  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  American  forces,  and  that 
he  had  been  particularly  desirous  to  deliver  it ;  but 
being  a  communication  with  the  enemy,  it  was 
necessary  to  refer  the  matter  to  General  Linares, 
who,  as  a  lieutenant-general,  was  his  senior,  and 
that  General  Linares  had  refused  to  let  the  report 
be  delivered.  However,  a  flag  of  truce  would  be 
taken  out,  and  the  American  admiral  would  be  in 
formed  of  our  escape  and  safety.  The  conversation , 
carried  on  in  French,  then  became  more  or  less 
general,  only  a  reference  being  made  to  the  Mer- 
rimac,  the  admiral  inquiring  as  to  her  size,  but 
carefully  avoiding  embarrassing  questions.  He 
spoke  of  American  officers  whom  he  had  met,  and 
inquired  particularly  about  Admiral  Luce,  whom 
he  had  seen  in  Spain  in  connection  with  the  Colum 
bian  celebration.  I  referred  to  the  report  that  he 

147 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

had  had  service  in  the  United  States,  mentioning 
that  I  had  understood  he  had  been  on  duty  in 
Washington  as  naval  attache  to  the  Spanish  lega 
tion.  He  replied  that  this  was  a  mistake,  that  the 
attache  belonged  to  another  family.  During  my 
two  years'  cruise  as  midshipman  I  had  visited  a 
number  of  ports  in  Spain ;  and  later,  while  on  duty 
in  Paris,  on  a  mission  to  the  French  shipyards,  I 
had  taken  occasion,  en  route  from  Bordeaux  to 
Toulon,  to  cross  the  Pyrenees  into  Spain.  He  knew 
all  the  places  I  had  visited,  and  conversation  con 
tinued  in  the  pleasantest  vein  for  probably  ten 
minutes.  The  admiral  left  with  the  salutations  and 
the  courteous  manner  that  would  have  marked  a 
visit  to  a  friendly  admiral  on  his  flagship.  "  Ah," 
I  thought,  "  this  admiral  commanding  the  Spanish 
naval  forces  has  taken  the  pains  to  put  on  the  uni 
form  for  official  visits,  and  has  come  at  the  very 
earliest  moment  to  visit  a  young  lieutenant  of  the 
enemy  in  prison  !  Surely  chivalry  is  not  yet  dead." 
As  the  admiral  left,  the  jailer  reentered,  and  led 
the  way  out  of  the  room  through  the  passageway 
to  the  rear,  down  a  flight  of  steps,  across  a  sort  of 
court,  then  up  another  flight  of  stairs,  stopping 
before  the  door  of  the  highest  cell,  which  occupied 
the  top  of  the  southwest  angle  of  the  castle,  a  sentry 
having  followed  us.  The  door  faces  to  the  south 
ward  and  eastward,  from  a  commanding  position, 
and  while  the  jailer  was  adjusting  the  heavy  key  and 

148 


ADMIRAL   CERVERA  VISITING   MR.    HOBSON    IN   THE    GUARD-ROOM 
AT   MORRO    CASTLE. 


IMPEISONMENT  IN  MOERO   CASTLE 

throwing  back  the  bolts,  I  gazed  out  over  the  sea. 
There  lay  our  vessels,— I  recognized  them  all,— 
slowly  moving  back  and  forth  in  two  columns. 
What  a  sight !  —the  power  of  a  great  nation  con 
centrating  with  determined  purpose ;  history  call 
ing  ;  the  eternal  rule  of  justice  appealing ;  the  God 
of  war  impelling.  A  heavy  blow  was  about  to  fall 
for  liberty  and  the  sacred  cause  of  human  right. 
It  was  a  great  sociological  phenomenon,  and  the 
individual  was  not  to  be  counted— was,  indeed, 
happy  in  being  lost. 

The  jailer  threw  open  the  door,  and  as  we  entered 
the  barren  and  filthy  cell,  flies  and  insects  started 
up.  Then  I  perceived  the  word  "  Muerte  "  written 
on  the  wall.  The  last  prisoner  must  have  died  there, 
and  evidently  the  cell  had  not  been  cleaned  since. 
The  jailer  withdrew,  leaving  the  sentry  at  the  door. 
An  attendant  brought  in  a  box  with  four  upright 
strips  nailed  at  the  corners  for  a  table ;  but  it  would 
not  stand,  so  he  leaned  it  against  the  wall,  and  left. 
The  sentry  closed  the  door,  locking  and  bolting  it. 
This,  then,  was  my  cell,  and  that  was  its  furni 
ture.  I  walked  up  and  down  on  the  broken  brick- 
and-mortar  floor,  and  wondered  where  my  men 
could  be. 

After  a  while  the  door  opened,  and  Captain  Bus- 
tamante  entered.  He  must  have  been  shocked  at 
the  situation,  for  his  first  word  was  an  apology. 
He  said  that  he  was  distressed,  that  such  a  condi- 

151 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE  "MERRIMAC" 

tion  of  things  would  not  be  allowed  to  continue, 
and  that  I  must  regard  it  as  only  temporary.  I 
assured  him  that  I  should  ask  for  no  indulgence,  but 
that  he  must  perceive  that  the  sanitary  condition 
was  utterly  intolerable;  that  I  must  ask  that  the 
cell  be  cleaned  and  the  door  left  open  for  light  and 
ventilation ;  that  my  men  be  given  clean  cells ;  and 
that  we  be  allowed  means  for  keeping  our  cells 
and  persons  clean,  as  otherwise  infection  would  be 
inevitable,  with  every  probability  of  blood-poisoning 
through  the  wounds  and  scratches.  He  replied 
that  he  personally  would  look  to  the  matter  at  once. 
He  had  come,  he  continued,  to  ask  if  there  was  any 
thing  he  might  do  for  me  in  connection  with  the  flag 
of  truce  which  he  was  about  to  take  out  to  the  fleet. 
I  asked,  if  it  would  not  be  inconsistent  with  his  duty, 
that,  simply  as  a  matter  of  personal  satisfaction  to 
me,  he  would  mention  to  Admiral  Sampson  that 
the  Merrimac's  steering-gear  had  been  shot  away. 
He  replied  that  he  feared  he  should  not  be  allowed 
to  speak  about  the  subject  at  all.  I  asked  him  then 
if  he  would  be  kind  enough  to  make  inquiry  about 
a  young  colleague  of  mine  who  had  come  after  the 
Merrimac  in  a  steam-launch.  I  had  been  very  anx 
ious  about  Powell.  I  knew,  of  course,  that  he  would 
not  think  of  coming  within  the  fire  of  the  guns  on  the 
slope  of  Socapa,  but  as  the  picket-boat  was  not  far 
from  the  position  where  he  was  to  lie,  I  feared  lest 
the  launch,  which  carried  only  rifles,  might  have 

152 


MR,  HOBSON'S  CELL  IN  MORRO  CASTLE. 

The  mark  of  a  shell  fired  during  the  bombardment  of  June  6 
is  seen  to  the  right  of  the  door-sill. 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MOKRO  CASTLE 

fallen  in  with  her.  He  said  he  could  already  reassure 
me  on  the  subject,  as  no  word  had  come  in  that  the 
launch  had  been  injured.  I  asked  Captain  Busta- 
mante  if  he  would  be  kind  enough  to  have  the 
surgeon  directed  to  give  careful  and  constant  atten 
tion  to  the  wounded  men,  and  to  allow  one  of  the 
crew,  Charette  or  Montague,  to  come  in  to  receive 
instructions  as  to  details  in  taking  care  of  their 
health  in  confinement. 

Soon  after  the  captain  left,  directions  for  the 
door  to  be  left  open  during  the  daytime  were  issued 
by  the  authorities,  and  in  a  few  minutes  Charette 
was  sent  in.  He  had  his  usual  cheerful  look,  un 
perturbed  by  the  sight  of  the  men's  wretched  cell 
and  by  the  uncertainties  of  our  confinement.  He 
referred  to  the  heavy  situation  we  had  passed 
through,  and  said,  "  Every  man  would  do  it  again 
to-night,  sir."  Indeed,  throughout  the  whole  term 
of  imprisonment  the  men  showed  the  most  remark 
able  spirit  of  cheerfulness.  They  never  had  the 
support  of  kind  words  and  courteous  visits,  as  I 
did ;  yet  never  once  did  they  exhibit  signs  of  anxiety 
or  fear.  The  Spanish  soldiers  at  first  taunted  them 
as  they  would  Cuban  prisoners ;  called  them  desper 
ados;  accused  them  of  fighting  for  money,  and 
made  signs  of  dealing  out  coin;  and  passed  their 
fingers  across  their  throats  and  shook  their  heads, 
to  indicate  the  fate  that  awaited  the  crew.  My 
men  only  smiled  at  such  taunts,  and  they  actually 

155 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

laughed  at  the  gruesome  mockings.  It  seems  that 
the  impression  was  more  or  less  general,  at  first, 
that  the  men  were  not  Americans,  but  a  hired  gang 
of  desperados. 

Several  days  later  one  of  the  officers  spoke  in  a 
similar  strain,  whereupon  I  asked  him  what  he 
meant.  He  replied:  "For  instance,  two  of  your 
men  are  deserters  from  the  Spanish  army,  and  that 
man  Charette  is  a  Catalonian  from  the  northeastern 
part  of  Spain ;  one  of  your  men  is  a  Swede ;  another 
is  a  German."  I  told  him  he  was  never  more  mis 
taken  in  his  life — that  the  men  were  all  American 
citizens,  regularly  enlisted  and  serving  in  the  Amer 
ican  navy,  and  that,  so  far  from  its  being  necessary 
to  get  desperate  men  for  the  work,  virtually  the 
whole  fleet  had  volunteered  for  it,  and  had  pleaded 
to  be  allowed  to  go.  This  it  seemed  impossible  for 
him  to  understand. 

Charette  had  not  been  gone  long  when,  to  my 
surprise,  men  began  bringing  in  furniture,— a  table, 
a  wash-stand,  a  pitcher,  a  basin,  a  cot  with  a  good 
double  blanket,  and  several  chairs  (one  of  them  a 
rocker),— while  at  the  same  time  a  hammock  and  a 
blanket  were  taken  to  each  man.  This  proved  to 
be  the  first  of  a  long  series  of  thoughtful  kindnesses 
from  Frederick  W.  Ramsden,  Esq.,  British  consul 
at  Santiago— kindnesses  that  contributed  in  the 
most  essential  manner  to  the  health  and  comfort  of 
the  American  prisoners.  His  thoughtfulness  had 

156 


VIEW  INSIDE  MORRO  CASTLE,  FROM  THE  STAIRS  MOUNTING 
TO  MR.  HOBSON'S  CELL. 

The  cell  of  the  crew  is  shown  opposite  the  seutry-box  ami  directly  under 
the  barred  window  to  the  left,  which  is  in  the  room  used  as  an  operating- 
room  for  the  Spanish  wounded.  The  sloping  roof  is  on  the  kitchen  where 
the  Spanish  soldiers  reported  for  rations. 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

been  so  prompt  that  these  articles  had  come  down 
all  the  way  from  Santiago  city  before  we  had  been 
an  hour  in  the  Morro.  After  the  arrival  of  the 
furniture,  the  situation,  with  my  door  open,  look 
ing  out  over  the  sea,  was  actually  cheerful. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  governor  of  the  Morro 
came,  making  me  a  most  cordial  visit.  He  was  fol 
lowed  by  the  colonel  commanding  the  artillery. 
This  officer,  after  kind  salutations,  referred  to  the 
heavy  fire  we  had  withstood  so  long,  and  to  the 
gallantry  of  our  fire  in  return.  When  I  informed 
him  that  we  had  no  guns  on  board,  he  was  utterly 
incredulous,  and  seemed  to  conclude  that  I  was 
deceiving  him,  for  he  replied:  "But  I  know  you 
must  have  fired,  for  I  myself  was  struck  on  the 
foot,  though  I  was  standing  away  up  above."  I 
replied  that  it  must  have  been  a  fragment  resulting 
from  their  own  fire ;  at  which  the  colonel  became 
serious,  as  though  a  new  and  unwelcome  thought 
was  passing  through  his  mind.  He  too  had  taken 
us  for  an  armored  vessel  forcing  our  way  through, 
and  what  he  said  about  our  fire  puzzled  me.  The 
next  time  Charette  came  in,  he  told  me  that 
wounded  men  were  being  operated  on  in  the  room 
just  above  the  men's  cell,  and  that  the  blood  was 
running  down  the  wall,  and  had  run  down  the  clues 
of  his  hammock,  so  that  he  had  had  to  change  its 
position.  When  I  had  a  chance  to  speak  to  him 
and  to  the  others  afterward,  they  said  that  both  a 

159 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

Spanish  sergeant  and  a  Spanish  private  had  told 
them  that  the  blood  came  from  the  men  we  had 
wounded— that  we  had  killed  fourteen  and  wounded 
thirty-seven ! 

In  a  visit  to  the  Morro  after  the  surrender,  I  was 
very  much  puzzled  to  find  fresh  gashes  and  imprints 
of  various  sizes  in  the  rear  walls,  as  though  it  had 
been  attacked  from  the  inshore  side,  while  we  had 
attacked  only  from  the  sea.  Every  indication  seems 
to  point  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Spaniards  firing 
at  the  Merrimac  had  struck  their  own  men  across 
the  channel.  This  was  the  more  to  be  expected 
from  the  horizontal  fire.  Morro,  though  elevated, 
was  in  the  line  of  fire  from  the  Reina  Mercedes, 
whose  projectiles,  exploding  on  the  Merrimac, 
doubtless  showered  the  banks  and  the  rear  of 
Morro  beyond.  No  wonder,  then,  that  they  took 
us  for  an  armored  man-of-war. 

My  mind  turned  again  to  the  Merrimac,  and  I 
realized  with  repeated  pangs  that  she  did  not  com 
pletely  block  the  channel.  The  ground-tackle  had 
exhibited  extraordinary  qualities  of  resistance,  and 
with  the  slightest  help  of  the  helm  to  start  the 
turning,  it  was  evident  that  the  vessel  would  have 
swung  to  her  position  athwart  with  mathematical 
precision.  But  at  the  last  moment  the  steering- 
gear  was  destined  to  be  shot  away.  The  entire 
speed  of  the  vessel  had  been  absorbed  by  the  elas 
tic  qualities  of  the  anchor-gear.  Even  then,  if  the 

160 


B- 

Is- 

3  o 
n  l~k 

*+  2  — 


I 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

stern-anchor  had  been  retarded  only  a  few  seconds 
longer,  its  chain  would  have  held  the  vessel  secure. 
Alas !  it  had  been  dropped  a  moment  too  soon,  and, 
as  was  learned  later,  not  by  the  man  stationed  there, 
but  by  the  explosion  of  one  of  the  enemy's  projec 
tiles.  Again,  only  two  torpedoes  out  of  the  whole 
number  had  gone  off,  and  these  were  the  least  effec 
tive  of  all ;  in  fact,  that  part  of  the  ship  affected  by 
torpedo  No.  5  had  already  been  flooded  by  the  sea 
connections.  This  disabling  of  torpedoes  had  been 
due  to  the  necessity  of  using  batteries  for  their 
discharge  instead  of  an  electric  machine.  It  was 
extraordinary  that  the  mine  had  helped  us  but 
little,  if  at  all.  It  seemed,  by  a  hard  fate,  to  have 
flooded  the  region  that  had  already  been  twice 
flooded,  by  sea  connections  and  by  torpedo  No.  5. 
Again,  how  extraordinary,  after  resting  eight  or 
ten  minutes  grounded  on  Estrella,  to  be  wrenched 
off  by  the  tide !  One  would  indeed  expect  a  vessel 
so  grounded  to  resist  strongly  the  efforts  of  her 
own  engines  and  of  tugs.  Then,  when  I  saw  her 
begin  to  straighten  out  in  the  channel,  if  we  had 
only  had  the  war-heads  we  should  have  gone 
down  like  a  shot.  It  seemed  strange  that  the 'ad 
miral  had  twice  refused  to  let  me  take  them,  though 
he  had  allowed  everything  else  that  I  had  asked  for. 
Then,  again,  if  the  vessel  had  hung  on  only  a  few 
minutes  longer,  till  the  accelerated  sinking  due  to 
the  submergence  of  the  cargo-ports  had  set  in,  we 

163 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKIMAC" 

scarcely  should  have  been  wrenched  off  before 
going  down.  But  no ;  it  seemed  that  we  had  to  be 
wrenched  off  just  soon  enough  to  allow  the  vessel 
to  drift  down  and  straighten  completely  out.  As  I 
reviewed  the  experience,  a  flood  of  bitterness  swept 
over  me.  These  remarkable  adverse  coincidences 
could  never  happen  again.  As  I  saw  the  tug  with 
a  flag  of  truce  going  out  to  the  fleet,  I  thought  if  I 
could  only  be  exchanged  quickly,  or  escape,  the 
admiral  would  let  me  take  in  the  other  collier,  with 
the  same  plans  and  arrangements,  and  the  same 
crew.  Another  time  I  would  guarantee  complete 
blocking. 

While  I  was  thinking  over  the  circumstances  of 
our  capture  it  struck  me  as  singular  that  Admiral 
Cervera  should  have  had  a  squad  of  riflemen  in 
the  steam-launch,  since  his  reconnaissance  involved 
only  a  poor  old  catamaran  and  the  top  of  the  funnel 
and  the  masts  of  a  sunken  vessel.  Then  it  occurred 
to  me  that  his  precaution  was  a  wise  one,  for  other 
wise  we  might  have  done  a  neat  stroke  of  work. 
My  men  included  a  machinist,  a  fireman,  and  two 
cockswains,  and  the  others  were  all  determined 
fellows.  Our  loaded  revolvers  with  waterproof 
cartridges  were  hidden  under  our  life-preservers. 
How  easy  it  would  have  been,  under  ordinary 
conditions,  after  getting  on  board  the  launch  and 
untying  the  strings  of  our  life-preservers,  on  a 
signal  from  me  to  throw  them  off,  draw  revolvers 

164 


STEAM-LAUNCH   OF   THE    "NEW  YORK"   BRINGING   CAPTAIN   BUSTAMANTE 
TO   THE   FLAGSHIP  WITH   A   FLAG   OF   TRUCE,    AND    NEWS   OF 

THE   SAFETY   OF    THE    "  MERRIMAC "    PRISONERS, 
"he  vessel  beyond  the  launch  is  the  Vixen.    The  Spanish  tug  is  seen  to  the  extreme  right. 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

and  cover  all  the  men  on  board,  and  quietly  take 
possession !  I  could  have  covered  the  three  officers 
sitting  together  aft;  my  men  could  have  taken 
stations,  and  we  should  have  had  force  enough  to 
continue  to  cover  the  crew  of  the  launch,  or  they 
could  easily  have  been  shoved  over.  We  could  then 
have  proceeded  out  of  the  harbor  to  the  New  York 
in  the  Spanish  admiral's  launch,  with  himself  and 
his  staff  as  trophies  of  the  adventure.  The  ad 
miral's  launch  would  not  have  been  fired  on  by  the 
guns  at  the  entrance,  and  even  if  the  destroyer 
close  by  had  taken  alarm,  she  could  not  have 
hoisted  anchor  until  we  should  have  been  well 
away,  and  she  could  not  have  chased  us  outside 
without  having  been  met  by  the  fire  of  our  fleet. 
This  manoeuver  would  doubtless  have  suggested 
itself  at  the  time,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  formi 
dable  squad  of  riflemen. 

A  soldier  coming  in  at  this  time  with  a  pan  of 
frijoles,  or  beans,  my  thoughts  came  back  to  my 
surroundings.  The  frijoles  were  followed  by  a 
pan  of  rice  and  bread.  I  had  the  table  placed  in 
front  of  the  door,  so  that  I  might  watch  the  ships 
while  I  was  eating.  Appetite  was  keen,  and  my 
first  meal  in  prison  was  very  much  relished.  The 
regular  ration  consisted  of  frijoles,  rice,  and  bread, 
and,  except  the  bread,  continued  to  be  served  in 
full  quantity  till  the  end  of  our  captivity.  As  a 
rule,  a  piece  of  sausage  came  with  the  frijoles.  The 
8  167 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

cooking  did  not  vary,  both  staples  being  invariably 
boiled  without  seasoning,  and  exactly  the  same 
food  was  served  at  every  meal,  until  the  system 
somewhat  rebelled  and  after  a  while  called  strongly 
for  variety ;  yet  on  the  whole  the  food  was  nourish 
ing.  After  the  transfer  to  Santiago  a  ration  of 
beef  was  added,  and  it  was  clear  that  the  authorities 
were  giving  me  the  same  food  that  was  issued  to 
the  Spanish  officers. 

My  men  received  the  same  ration  of  frijoles,  rice, 
and  bread,  with  a  reduced  ration  of  beef,  while  no 
beef  at  all  was  included  in  the  ration  of  the  Spanish 
soldier.  Flour  soon  became  scarce,  and  corn  and 
a  mixture  of  corn  and  rice  were  substituted.  It 
was  evident,  however,  that  the  Spaniards  depended 
on  bread  more  than  we  did,  and  felt  more  keenly 
its  scarcity;  so  it  can  be  said  broadly  that  during 
the  imprisonment  the  prisoners  fared  as  well  as 
their  captors,  if  not  better. 

While  I  ate,  the  soldiers  of  the  garrison  lined  up 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  small  court  to  receive 
their  food,  each  one  carrying  his  pan.  One  can 
imagine  the  interest  with  which  I  examined  the 
Spanish  soldiers,  making  mental  comparisons  with 
our  own,  and  endeavoring  to  foresee  the  probable 
action  and  results  when  the  two  should  be  found 
facing  each  other,  as  I  knew  they  would  before 
many  weeks.  It  was  clear  at  a  glance  that  they 
were  from  the  peasant  classes.  Many  of  them  were 

168 


OUTER   PORTCULLIS,    MORRO    CASTLE. 
The  Merrimac  prisoners  entered  across  this  bridge  from  the  left. 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MOEEO  CASTLE 

very  young,  and  they  averaged  perhaps  four  or  five 
inches  less  in  height  and  at  least  twenty-five 
pounds  less  in  weight  than  our  men.  They  did 
not  look  to  be  in  good  health,  having  bad  com 
plexions,  and  many  of  them  were  coughing.  It 
was  clear  that  we  heavily  outclassed  them  physi 
cally.  The  most  striking  feature,  however,  was  the 
completely  passive  expression  of  the  face.  They 
made  little  effort  at  conversation,  and  seldom 
smiled.  For  some  time  they  had  probably  been 
working  very  hard  on  the  emplacements  for  bat 
teries,  and  there  seemed  no  surplus  energy  for  any 
other  activity.  The  eye  was  usually  dull,  having 
a  steady,  stoical  look,  in  some  cases  pathetic.  In 
temperament  they  were  clearly  just  the  opposite 
of  our  own  troops,  who,  recruited  from  a  higher 
class,  had  the  alert,  animated  look  of  aggressive 
men. 

As  luncheon  was  being  completed,  an  orderly 
appeared  with  a  tray  bearing  cigars,  cigarettes, 
and  a  bottle  of  cognac,  which  he  presented  with 
the  compliments  of  the  governor  of  the  Morro, 
delivering  at  the  same  time  a  note  in  French,  with 
cautiously  couched  words  of  kindness  to  this 
effect : 

SIR  :  The  commandant  of  the  fortress,  and  the  officers  of 
the  engineers  and  of  the  artillery,  have  the  honor  to  salute 
you,  and  to  offer  to  do  anything  in  their  power  to  amelio- 

171 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

rate  your  situation.    We  therefore  beg  you  to  make  known 
to  us  your  wishes. 

Accept,  sir,  the  compliments  of  our  highest  esteem. 

ANTONIO  Ros, 
The  Governor. 

There  could  not  have  been  a  more  thoughtful 
token  of  kindness,  hospitality,  and  good  wishes, 
though,  as  it  happened,  I  was  not  accustomed  to 
using  any  of  the  articles  offered. 

Having  nothing  to  write  with,  I  had  to  send  my 
compliments  and  thanks  by  verbal  message.  When 
the  orderly  was  gone,  I  sent  the  soldiers  who  were 
waiting  on  me  to  the  crew  with  the  cigars  and 
cigarettes,  keeping  a  few,  however,  together  with 
the  cognac ;  and  these,  singular  as  it  appears,  were 
used  to  offer  the  hospitality  of  the  cell  to  the  offi 
cers  that  called  later.  I  was  deeply  touched  by  the 
calls  which  I  continued  to  receive  from  officers 
during  the  afternoon  and  the  following  days.  My 
visitors  were  of  all  grades,  and  many  came  from  a 
distance.  Officers,  nearly  all  my  seniors  in  age  and 
rank,  would  beg,  as  they  put  it  in  warm  and  dignified 
words,  to  be  allowed  to  shake  my  hand.  There  can 
be  no  question  that  the  Spanish  character  is  deeply 
sensible  to  a  genuine  sentiment.  The  history  of  war 
fare  probably  contains  no  instance  of  chivalry  on  the 
part  of  captors  greater  than  that  of  those  who  fired 
on  the  Merrimac,  and  I  knew  that  harshness  of  treat 
ment  could  have  had  its  origin  only  in  official 
considerations.  172 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MOKRO  CASTLE 

The  afternoon  passed  quickly.  In  the  intervals 
between  visits  I  would  walk  up  and  down,  or  sit 
in  the  doorway  and  look  out  over  the  sea  at  our 
fleet,  which,  with  its  stately  movements,  presented 
constantly  changing  positions  in  constantly  chang 
ing  effects  of  light.  I  also  noticed  the  vultures 
that  sailed  about  close  at  hand,  turning  their  un 
canny  heads  as  if  investigating,  and  the  graceful 
boatswain  birds  with  long,  marlinespike  body  and 
keenly  tapered  bow  wings.  At  five,  dinner  or 
supper  was  served,  with  the  same  food,  the  soldiers 
lining  up  as  for  luncheon.  The  sun  sank;  the 
vessels  stood  to  their  night  positions;  the  sentry 
closed  the  door,  shoved  the  bolt,  and  turned  the 
key.  A  shaft  of  light  still  came  in  through  the 
small  barred  window  high  up  in  the  wall  on  the  west 
side,  the  only  opening  besides  the  door.  I  walked 
up  and  down  in  the  darkness  till  the  lampman  came 
in  with  a  lamp.  I  turned  it  low,  screening  it,  and 
continued  walking  till  about  nine,  when  I  moved 
the  cot  beneath  the  window,  as  if  preparing  to 
sleep,  and  lay  down.  When  I  was  sure  the  sentry 
would  believe  me  asleep,  I  stepped  on  the  cot,  and 
drew  myself  up  to  investigate  the  window.  What 
a  sight  greeted  me !  The  view  was  down  a  sheer 
height  of  perhaps  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  upon 
the  entrance,  and  stretching  out  to  the  westward 
and  northwestward  under  the  full  moon  lay  a  tragic 
panorama,  weird  in  the  stillness,  with  the  mountains 

173 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

in  the  distance,  and  Socapa  just  across,  showing 
the  glint  of  guns  in  its  batteries  on  top  and  on  the 
slopes.  There  lay  the  picket-boat  again,  just  out 
side  the  entrance.  Farther  in,  the  bow  of  the  Eeina 
Mercedes  stood  out  clear  behind  Socapa ;  and  be 
yond  her,  in  the  bight  to  the  left  near  Smith  Cay, 
lay  a  destroyer,  seemingly  looking  at  the  sunken 
Merrimac  just  ahead.  So,  then,  they  had  a  de 
stroyer  on  each  side  of  the  channel,  up  the  bight  to 
the  left  as  well  as  to  the  right !  Beyond  Smith  Cay 
lay  the  black  and  sullen  hull  of  the  Vizcaya,  with 
her  broadside  to  the  opening  channel.  The  masts 
of  her  two  sister  ships,  the  Maria  Teresa  and  the 
Almirante  Oquendo,  and  those  of  the  Colon  beyond 
Punta  Gorda  showed  that  they  too  would  bear 
upon  a  vessel  passing  into  the  inner  harbor.  Ex 
cepting  the  battery  to  the  eastward  of  Morro,  the 
panorama  included  all  the  defenses  of  the  channel. 
How  remarkably  this  entrance  lends  itself  to  de 
fense,  and  how  cleverly  the  Spaniards  had  availed 
themselves  of  its  natural  advantages !  Since  lunch 
eon  I  had  been  thinking  about  the  defenses  and 
their  bearing  upon  the  prosecution  of  the  war.  I 
had  heard  Admiral  Sampson  and  Captain  Chad- 
wick  refer  to  the  selection  of  a  point  for  landing 
troops,  and  wondered  if  it  were  intended  to  try  to 
take  the  city  and  attack  the  enemy's  ships  from 
the  land.  The  more  I  thought  on  the  subject,  the 
more  futile  such  an  attempt  seemed.  How  could 

174 


«  ** 
CD  •< 


CT5  g;    O 


crc1^    re 


I!!  I 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MOBRO  CASTLE 

the  city  be  occupied  under  the  guns  of  the  enemy's 
ships !  How  could  land  artillery  of  sufficient  cali 
ber  to  outclass  the  armor  of  the  Spanish  vessels 
ever  be  placed  in  position  under  the  fire  of  their 
guns  ?  How  could  such  artillery  even  be  landed  and 
transported  under  existing  conditions?  The  con 
clusion  grew  stronger  that  land  operations  against 
the  ships  and  the  army  of  occupation  would  prob 
ably  cost  thousands  of  lives ;  that  the  ships  should 
be  captured  or  destroyed  and  the  city  taken  by  our 
vessels,  the  army's  best  function  being  simply  to 
cut  off  escape  inland  and  to  occupy  the  place  after 
surrender.  Steadily  this  conclusion  engendered  a 
profound  conviction  that  if  the  enemy  should  not 
come  out  we  should  go  in.  I  determined  to  make 
every  possible  endeavor  to  get  back  to  the  fleet  with 
my  knowledge  of  the  defenses.  Escape  from  the 
cell  was  impossible.  I  should  have  to  await  fur 
ther  developments.  My  mind  turned  again  upon 
the  Merrimac.  How  fortunate,  it  seemed  to  me  now, 
that  she  did  not  go  down  athwart  the  channel! 
Our  entrance  for  the  rest  of  the  war  would  have 
been  impossible.  She  could  not  be  better  situated. 
The  enemy  would  hesitate  a  long  time  before  trying 
to  pass,  thus  allowing  time  for  our  whole  fleet  to 
arrive.  Their  ships  could  not  form  in  the  enlarge 
ment  of  the  channel,  or  even  across  it,  but  would 
have  to  pass  single  file,  and  would  be  at  great  risk 
if  they  tried  to  pass  at  night.  Heaven  had  not 

177 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

frowned  upon  our  efforts,  after  all.  The  series  of 
coincidences  that  had  kept  us  from  going  down 
athwart  were  only  the  steady  guidance  of  a  kindly 
fate.  I  went  to  sleep  with  a  thankful  mind. 

I  slept  soundly,  having  had  no  sleep  for  about 
sixty-three  hours,  and  only  about  six  hours  during 
the  previous  eighty-seven.  As  deep  as  the  sleep 
was,  however,  it  was  interrupted  during  the  night, 
as  I  became  aware  of  efforts  being  made  to  pry  me 
off  the  cot,  as  it  were,  and  I  suddenly  recognized 
that  a  huge  insect  was  using  its  body  for  a  wedge 
or  crowbar.  I  recognized  in  the  dark  a  species  of 
big  spider  that  I  had  seen  in  the  afternoon— some 
thing  of  a  cross  between  a  spider  and  a  crab,  with 
a  round,  black  body  and  a  multitude  of  red  legs. 
Naturally  I  took  measures  to  get  rid  of  such  a  bed 
fellow,  but  I  knew  that  the  tribe  was  too  hopelessly 
numerous  for  extermination.  Old  Morro  seems  to 
be  their  breeding-ground;  I  have  not  found  them 
elsewhere,  and  I  believe  they  are  not  poisonous. 

I  was  still  asleep  when  the  soldier  came  in  to 
bring  breakfast— coffee  and  bread.  I  asked  him 
if  there  was  anything  else.  He  answered,  "No, 
senor,"  in  a  half -injured  tone  of  surprise,  as  if  to 
say,  "What  do  you  expect?  Who  ever  heard  of 
anybody  having  anything  else  ? " 

Early  in  the  forenoon  Captain  Bustamante  came. 
He  said  that  he  had  taken  out  the  flag  of  truce  with 
information  that  we  were  well,  and  had  brought 

178 


IMPRISONMENT   IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

back  a  box  for  me,  and  the  men's  bags,  and  twenty- 
five  dollars  in  gold,— all  from  the  New  York,— with 
a  memorandum  from  Flag-Lieutenant  Staunton, 
with  whom  he  had  communicated.  He  then  said 
there  was  a  matter  which  he  hoped  I  would  pardon 
him  for  referring  to :  he  trusted  I  would  not  con 
sider  him  impertinent  in  asking  about  the  torpe 
does  on  the  Merrimac,  to  which  I  had  referred  while 
on  the  Eeina  Mercedes,  since  it  was  a  question  of 
humanity.  He  wished  to  know  about  them  for  the 
guidance  of  divers,  whose  destruction  could  not 
affect  the  issue  of  war.  I  had  decided  that  it 
would  be  best  to  give  out  no  further  information 
about  the  Merrimac,  in  order  to  keep  the  Spaniards 
guessing,  and  to  have  them  keep  clear  of  the  vessel 
and  hesitate  to  take  measures  to  blow  her  out  of 
the  channel.  I  thereupon  told  the  captain  that  it 
would  distress  me  to  think  that  harmless  divers 
should  suffer,  and  as  a  matter  of  humanity  I  would 
tell  him  that  there  were  torpedoes  on  the  vessel, 
but  as  to  their  location  or  arrangement,  or  any 
other  features,  he  must  excuse  me  from  giving 
information.  He  was  most  courteous,  and  apolo 
gized  for  having  ventured  the  question,  reiterating 
that  he  asked  only  for  humanity's  sake  and  because 
I  had  voluntarily  made  reference  to  the  subject  on 
the  Mercedes. 

Referring  to  the  matter  of  our  having  been  put 
in  the  Morro  by  order  of  General  Linares,  he  said 

179 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

he  had  seen  the  general,  and  during  the  conversa 
tion  the  general  said  he  would  not  visit  me,  because 
he  feared  that  if  he  came  he  should  not  be  able  to 
bring  himself  to  do  his  official  duty.  I  wondered 
what  he  meant  by  his  official  duty.  I  have  never 
been  able  to  clear  this  matter  up  with  any  satisfac 
tion.  Mr.  Eamsden  told  me,  during  his  first  visit 
(without  any  reference  to  the  matter  on  my  part), 
that  the  general  had  said  the  same  thing  to  him. 
The  general  kept  his  word:  although  he  sent  a 
courteous  message  of  greeting  by  Mr.  Ramsden  at 
this  visit,  he  never  called,  and  only  sent  his  chief 
of  staff  on  the  day  before  our  exchange.  I  do  not 
know  whether  he  changed  his  interpretation  of  his 
official  duty. 

Before  the  captain  left,  the  box  and  bags  came. 
The  box  was  one  of  my  galvanized-iron  carling 
boxes ;  the  bags  were  the  regular  bags  of  the  men 
from  the  New  York  and  the  Iowa,  with  special  bags 
made  up  from  the  stores  of  the  New  York  for  the 
others,  all  carefully  prepared  and  marked.  Cha- 
rette  and  Montague  were  sent  for,  and  came  and 
examined  the  bags ;  and  we  made  a  list  of  the  arti 
cles  needed  and  not  kept  in  the  bags,  such  as  pipes, 
tooth-brushes,  etc.  The  captain  took  the  list,  and 
the  articles  came  by  the  next  courier  from  Santi 
ago,  being  paid  for  upon  delivery.  I  asked  the 
captain  if  it  could  not  be  arranged  to  allow  my 
men  to  wash  their  clothes,  and  to  allow  one  of  them 

180 


BALUSTRADE 


°o 


MORRO  CASTLE 


1 

1 

! 

1 

1 

1 

\     1 

\ 

J 

m 

3 

MI 
^ 

STEPS  DESCENDi 

RELATIVE  LOCA\ 

§ 

rn 
^ 

^ 

Co 

? 
ik. 

e> 

LIGHTNING-ROD 

RELATIVE  POS 

GALVANIZED  IR 

WASH-STAND. 

TABLE. 

WINDOW. 
COT. 

1 
I 

<r> 

S 

^ 

§ 

0 

2 

f>l 

0 

^ 

^) 

^ 
O 

^ 

o 

to 
o 

53 

^ 

>i 

o 

o 

X: 

5 

-*i 

o 
*n 

>, 

<— 

Or— 

—/ 

THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

to  come  in  to  see  me  every  day  to  make  known 
their  needs  and  give  account  of  the  wounded  men. 
Both  concessions  were  granted  by  the  governor  of 
the  Morro. 

Chare tte  and  Montague  were  still  with  me  when 
the  captain  left.  The  sight  of  the  bags  seemed  to 
make  them  as  happy  as  children,  and  while  getting 
the  bags  together  they  talked  about  the  marvelous 
escape  in  coming  in,  and  spoke  in  a  touching  way 
of  having  been  "brought  through."  One  can 
scarcely  imagine  the  exquisite  joy  the  box  and 
bags  brought  us,  coming  direct  from  our  friends 
and  comrades,  who,  though  within  sight,  seemed 
impassably  separated.  It  was  like  receiving  a 
cablegram  from  a  dear  one  across  the  sea — some 
message  which,  in  spite  of  the  vast  gulf  of  separa 
tion,  still  holds,  as  it  were,  the  warmth  and  breadth 
of  kindness  and  affection.  When  the  men  were 
gone  I  opened  my  box,  and  found  its  contents  most 
carefully  and  thoughtfully  prepared.  The  books, 
plans,  and  articles  which  I  had  left  in  it  had  been 
taken  out,  and  in  their  stead  were  a  service-dress 
uniform,  a  white  uniform  and  extra  trousers,  and 
other  apparel,  with  a  shaving  outfit  and  other  toilet 
articles  complete.  It  was  touching  to  see  that 
where  my  own  things  could  not  be  found  my  mess 
mates  had  sent  theirs.  One  of  them  who  sat  near 
me  at  table  had  recently  passed  a  birthday,  and  his 
wife  had  sent  him  as  a  present  a  fine  new  outfit  of 

182 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

carefully  chosen  underwear,  the  very  thing  for  the 
climate.  He  had  taken  me  into  his  state-room  and 
had  shown  the  articles  to  me  with  pride  and  enthu 
siasm,  and  I  saw  how  much  he  prized  them  as 
coming  from  her.  There  they  were  in  my  box ! 

I  shifted  into  uniform  at  once— blue  blouse  and 
white  trousers;  and  this  uniform  I  wore  through 
out.  I  returned  the  clothing  of  Captain  Acosta, 
with  a  message  of  compliments  and  thanks,  the 
messenger  bringing  back  from  him  a  kindly  note 
of  acknowledgment,  together  with  the  garments 
I  had  left  behind.  The  men's  borrowed  articles 
were  similarly  returned  and  their  discarded  ones 
brought  back,  from  which  they  vainly  tried  to 
wash  out  the  coal-dust  and  oil. 

The  forenoon  of  Saturday  (June  4)  passed  with 
out  incident.  The  surgeon  came  after  making  his 
rounds,  and  reported  the  men's  wounds  as  healing 
rapidly.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  while 
I  was,  seated  in  the  rocker  just  inside  the  door, 
gazing  out  over  the  fleet,  an  official  with  a  stern 
look  appeared,  and,  as  I  made  a  movement  to  rise, 
with  an  expression  of  hauteur  waved  his  hand  and 
said  I  need  not  rise.  I  rose,  however,  and  offered 
him  a  chair,  which  he  declined.  He  was  followed 
by  another  august-looking  official,  whose  mouth 
seemed  hermetically  sealed,  and  who  carried  paper, 
pen,  and  ink,  and  he  in  turn  by  a  third,  who  ad 
dressed  me  in  English.  "That  official,"  said  he, 

183 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

pointing  to  the  first— "that  official  is  the  juez  de 
instruction— the  judge  of  instruction";  and  he 
paused  as  if  to  see  the  effect  of  the  announcement. 
"  This  is  the  secretario,  and  I  am  the  official  inter 
preter."  "I  am  sure  I  am  happy  to  meet  you, 
gentlemen.  Will  you  not  be  kind  enough  to  take 
seats  ? "  I  replied,  placing  chairs  to  the  front.  The 
secretary  took  his  chair,  set  it  alongside  the  table, 
and  arranged  his  paper  and  ink  without  a  word; 
and  the  judge  and  the  interpreter  finally  taking 
chairs,  we  all  sat  down,  and  I  waited  for  them  to 
take  the  initiative.  The  judge  spoke  to  the  inter 
preter,  who,  turning  to  me,  said  that  the  judge  had 
come  to  examine  me,  and  gave  me  fair  warning  to 
make  my  answers  full  and  accurate.  I  said  that  I 
did  not  doubt  that  the  proceeding  was  entirely 
regular,  but  that  I  should  be  indebted  if,  before 
the  questions  began,  he  would  be  kind  enough  to 
explain  to  me  under  whose  orders  they  came  and 
what  was  the  object  and  nature  of  the  questions. 
He  answered  that  they  came  under  the  orders  of 
the  commander  of  the  port,  and  would  question  me 
as  to  the  vessel  that  had  come  in  on  Friday  morn 
ing.  I  asked  who  the  commander  of  the  port  was, 
and  from  whom  he  received  his  authority.  He 
replied  that  the  commander  of  the  port  was  the 
officer  charged  with  all  the  affairs  of  the  harbor, 
and  that  he  received  his  authority  from  the  cap 
tain-general,  the  captain-general  receiving  his  au- 

184 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MOKRO   CASTLE 

thority  from  the  government  at  Madrid.  I  asked 
them  if  Admiral  Cervera,  who  had  captured  me, 
and  the  British  consul,  who  was  charged  with  the 
business  of  my  government,  knew  of  the  proceed 
ing.  The  judge,  who  had  shown  signs  of  irritation, 
then  burst  out  at  me  direct.  He  did  not  know 
whether  Admiral  Cervera  and  the  British  consul 
knew  of  the  matter,  and  he  did  not  care;  he  did 
not  intend  to  have  his  authority  questioned;  he 
came  to  ask  questions,  not  to  be  questioned ;  he  had 
never  seen  such  a  prisoner— and  he  rose  to  his  feet 
in  wrath.  I  rose  at  the  same  time,  and  faced  him, 
and  told  him  he  should  have  intelligence  enough  to 
know,  and  those  who  sent  him  should  have  intelli 
gence  enough  to  know,  that  the  men  who  brought 
the  Merrimac  in  could  not  be  intimidated  or  coerced 
into  answering  unauthorized  or  impertinent  ques 
tions.  He  said  he  would  return  and  report  that 
I  refused  to  answer  his  questions.  I  replied  that 
he  did  not  seem  to  recognize  that  he  had  asked  no 
questions.  The  defiance  seemed  to  cool  him  off, 
and  I  suggested  that  he  ask  his  questions,  and  I 
would  tell  him  in  each  case  whether  I  declined  to 
answer  or  not ;  that  I  was  sure  it  would  only  give 
me  pleasure  to  answer  those  that  were  proper.  He 
came  over  and  sat  near  the  secretary,  and  began, 
the  secretary  copying  the  questions  word  for  word, 
the  interpreter  translating  word  for  word :  "  What 
is  your  name ! "  "  What  is  your  rank  and  occupa- 

185 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

tion?"  "How  old  are  you?"  "Where  were  you 
born  ?  "  "  Where  have  you  lived  I "  "  Are  you  single 
or  married  ? "  etc.  I  answered  each  question  in  turn, 
the  interpreter  translating  my  answers  word  for 
word,  while  the  secretary  wrote  them  down.  When 
the  identification  questions  were  over,  the  next 
question  was  as  follows:  "What  was  the  object  ot 
the  vessel  coming  into  the  harbor  on  Friday  morn 
ing,  the  3d  of  June,  and  under  whose  authority 
were  you  acting  1 "  I  answered  that  the  vessel  came 
in  under  the  authority  of  the  commander-in-chief 
of  the  United  States  forces  off  Santiago  de  Cuba, 
and  then  asked  for  paper  and  pencil,  and  drafted 
the  following  additional  answer :  "  Without  in  the 
slightest  manner  questioning  the  authority  and  the 
regularity  of  this  interrogation,  I  must  respectfully 
decline  to  answer  in  any  way  the  first  part  of  the 
question  given  until  I  have  been  informed  by 
Admiral  Cervera,  by  whose  forces  I  was  captured, 
and  also  by  the  English  consul,  who  has  been 
named  to  transact  the  business  of  the  United  States 
in  the  city  of  Santiago  de  Cuba,  that  they  have 
been  informed  of  this  interrogation  and  of  the 
nature  of  the  question  itself";  and  then  I  added 
the  request  that  my  men  also  be  not  subjected  to 
questioning  till  after  the  receipt  of  such  informa 
tion.  I  superintended  the  translation  into  Spanish 
as  the  secretary  took  it  down  from  the  interpreter. 
While  withholding  the  information,  the  answer 

186 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MORRO   CASTLE 

would  make  it  difficult  for  the  judge  to  make  out 
a  case  of  defiance  of  any  legitimate  authority. 

The  judge,  in  the  meanwhile,  had  entirely 
changed  his  attitude.  He  ceased  asking  questions, 
and  began  a  pleasant  conversation,  saying  that  he 
lived  under  the  same  roof  as  the  British  consul, 
who  was  a  capital  fellow.  He  rose,  and  we  walked 
up  and  down,  conversing.  He  said  that  he  put 
aside  his  official  capacity,  and  asked  if  I  had  any 
objection  to  telling  him  personally  if  the  vessel  had 
come  in  without  a  pilot.  I  answered  that  it  had. 
The  difficulties  of  navigation  seemed  to  strike  him 
most.  He  had  not  seen  the  firing.  "Will  you 
not  shake  hands,  as  man  to  man ! "  he  asked ;  and 
I  gave  him  a  hearty  clasp.  "  I  too  am  a  naval 
officer,"  he  added,  "  and  have  been  detailed  to  this 
duty." 

When  the  secretary  was  through  writing,  he 
also  unbent,  and  the  interpreter  joined  in,  and  on 
leaving  the  three  were  full  of  kind  words.1 

The  interrogation  was  never  taken  up  again, 
though  General  Linares  seemed  to  have  been  dis 
pleased  with  the  result  of  it,  for  the  next  day  he 
caused  Admiral  Cervera  and  the  British  consul 
each  to  write  me  an  official  letter,  informing  me 
that  he  was  in  supreme  command  at  Santiago,  and 

1  The  judge  proved  to  be  Lieu-  naval  forces  of  the  province  of 
tenant  Jose"  Miiller  y  Tejeiro,  sec-  Santiago ;  the  secretary  was  Lieu- 
ond  in  command  of  the  Spanish  tenant  Dario  Laguna. 

9  189 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

that  he  had  the  complete  direction  of  the  matter  of 
the  prisoners. 

The  judge  did  not  go  to  the  men's  cell,  but  vari 
ous  persons  asked  them  questions,  Charette,  who 
speaks  French,  being  called  up  as  spokesman.  In 
one  case  a  major,  with  imperious  air  and  stern 
voice  of  command,  asked  what  was  the  object  of 
our  coming  in.  Charette  drew  himself  up,  and  said 
in  a  firm  voice :  "  In  the  American  navy  it  is  not 
the  custom  for  a  seaman  to  know,  or  to  ask  to 
know,  the  object  of  his  superior  officer."  The 
major  was  so  much  impressed  that  he  stopped 
asking  questions  and  offered  Charette  a  cigar. 

The  day  passed  without  further  incident,  except 
ing  visits  of  courtesy  from  officers,  as  on  the  pre 
vious  day.  Having  occasion  to  cross  the  courtyard, 
I  took  new  observation  as  to  the  chances  of  escape ; 
but  it  was  as  hopeless  as  in  the  cell,  for  a  sentry 
accompanied  me  and  the  guards  occupied  the  en 
trance,  while  on  all  the  other  sides  the  walls  went 
down  to  great  depths.  When  I  would  pass  near 
my  men's  cell,  they  would  look  out  at  me  through 
the  barred  door.  As  I  went  by,  the  soldiers  sit 
ting  near  would  rise  and  salute  with  as  much  re 
spect  as  for  their  own  officers,  if  not  more;  they 
had  probably  been  impressed  by  the  visits  paid  to 
me.  With  the  strict  watch  kept,  it  was  evident 
that  there  could  be  but  little,  if  any,  hope  of  escape. 

Sunday  (June  5)  passed  like  Saturday. 
190 


MORTARS   ON   TOP   OF   MORRO. 


IMPRISONMENT   IN  MORBO  CASTLE 

Monday  morning,  June  6,  came  in  overcast. 
Early  coffee  had  been  served,  and  I  was  sitting 
back  from  the  door,  when,  with  a  whizz  and  a  crash, 
came  the  sharp  crack  of  an  exploding  shell,  fol 
lowed  by  the  vibrating  peal  of  the  eight-inch  gun 
from  which  it  was  fired.  Another  whizz  and  crash 
and  crack  and  peal,  another  and  another,  and  then 
came  the  king  of  projectiles,  a  thir teen-inch,  the 
air  screeching  and  crackling  as  if  vitrified. 

I  knew  at  once  that  a  general  bombardment 
had  begun,  and  hastily  examined  the  cell  as  to 
its  protective  features.  The  brick  and  mortar  of 
the  walls  and  the  debris  of  the  roof  were  more 
to  be  feared  than  the  projectiles  and  their  actual 
fragments. 

At  the  first  shot  the  sentry,  as  if  he  had  been 
previously  instructed,  quickly  closed  the  door, 
bolted  arid  locked  it,  and  ran  away.  I  concluded 
that  the  splinters  from  the  door  would  be  prefer 
able  to  the  brick  and  mortar  from  the  wall.  I  pulled 
the  table  and  the  wash-stand  in  front  of  the  door,  end 
on,  and  stood  the  galvanized-iron  box  up  011  its  side 
against  the  front  end  of  the  table,  a  little  back  from 
the  door,  to  catch  any  splinters  from  it;  then  I  crawled 
through  the  legs  of  the  table,  and  lay  face  down, 
with  my  head  just  behind  the  box  in  the  direction 
of  the  firing.  The  table  and  wash-stand  together 
were  long  enough  to  cover  my  head,  body,  and 
part  of  my  legs  from  falling  debris,  and  tho  box 

193 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

screened  the  door.  The  principal  danger  was  from 
blows  of  brick  and  mortar  which  might  be  hurled 
obliquely  by  entering  projectiles,  and  from  the 
whole  cell  or  wall  beneath  being  blown  out  by  a 
thirteen-inch  projectile  and  falling  and  crumbling 
down  the  precipice. 

My  men,  I  knew,  were  less  exposed,  being  farther 
back  and  down.  The  situation  was  simple,  and 
nothing  remained  but  to  await  developments. 

I  knew  what  good  marksmen  our  gunners  were, 
and  did  not  doubt  that  they  would  make  quick 
work  of  the  exposed  parts  of  the  Morro.  The 
thought  was  scarcely  formulated  when  a  shock 
came  that  made  the  great  mass  tremble  to  its  foun 
dation.  A  heavy  projectile  had  struck  the  wall 
facing  the  sea,  and,  penetrating,  had  exploded. 
While  the  pile  still  vibrated,  a  sea  swell  swept  into 
the  caverns  below,  and  sent  up  a  great,  hollow, 
hungry  roar. 

A  flood  of  bitter  thoughts  passed  over  me: 
"  This,  then,  is  the  Spanish  idea  of  honorable  war 
fare—to  place  us  here,  and  make  our  own  men  the 
executioners ! "  Then  I  began  to  study  the  phe 
nomena  with  intense  interest,  locating  by  sound 
the  vessels  and  the  targets  at  which  they  were 
firing.  It  soon  became  evident  that  the  batteries 
to  the  eastward  and  westward  of  the  entrance  were 
the  principal  targets,  and  that  they  returned  the  fire, 
though  there  appeared  to  be  another  target  farther 

194 


MR.  HOBSON  LOOKING  OUT  OF  THE  CELL  WINDOW  DURING  THE 
BOMBARDMENT. 


IMPEISONMENT  IN  MOKRO  CASTLE 

to  the  eastward.  From  time  to  time  the  Morro 
itself  would  receive  a  shell ;  but  it  was  not  a  prin 
cipal  target,  and  I  concluded  finally  that  the  Morro, 
which  did  not  answer  the  fire,  would  not  be  attacked 
till  after  the  batteries  were  silenced,  and  therefore 
decided  that  I  would  be  justified  in  getting  out 
from  under  the  table  to  examine  the  phenomena 
from  the  window— to  return  as  soon  as  the  Morro 
should  become  a  target ;  so  I  came  out,  placed  the 
cot  into  position,  drew  myself  up,  and  looked  out. 

What  sublimity  of  sight  and  sound !  Our  pro 
jectiles  seemed  like  animated  creatures  in  a  wild 
chase,  seething  and  screaming  with  rage,  tearing  to 
fragments  everything  they  could  touch  in  their 
mad  flight,  and  keeping  up  a  cloud  of  dust  and  gas 
about  the  battery.  The  thirteen-inch  projectile 
seemed  to  have  a  dignity  all  its  own,  as  though 
aware  of  its  mighty  power.  Exploding,  it  would 
raise  a  great  yellow  cloud  of  earth  and  debris,  send 
ing  forked  shafts  of  gas  out  and  up  for  a  hundred 
feet,  while  for  many  seconds  afterward  the  frag 
ments  would  continue  to  drop  about  the  Morro  and 
in  the  water  of  the  entrance.  The  first  panoramic 
glance  showed  that  the  enemy  was  not  replying, 
while  it  showed  that  the  Eeina  Mercedes  was  on 
fire. 

But  I  had  scarcely  begun  the  study  of  particulars 
when  a  projectile  whizzed  overhead,  and  another 
struck  the  Morro  with  full  force.  "  They  have  be- 

197 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKIMAC" 

gun  on  the  Morro,"  I  thought,  and  jumped  down  and 
crawled  under  the  table.  The  fire  seemed  to  slacken 
for  a  moment;  then  the  enemy  opened,  and  again 
the  fire  set  in  strong  against  the  Socapa  sea  battery, 
and  I  came  out,  and  climbed  to  the  window  once 
more,  in  time  to  see  the  crews  of  the  enemy's  guns 
leave  them  and  run  to  a  pit  in  the  rear.  Then  I 
watched  for  the  next  lull.  Sure  enough,  up  they 
came  again,  and  fired  away.  Then  our  guns  re 
opened  in  full  force,  and  again  the  crews  retreated 
to  the  pit. 

This  occurred  over  and  over ;  and  then  I  realized, 
even  more  than  in  the  bombardment  of  San  Juan, 
that  ships  cannot  destroy  shore  batteries  without 
coming  into  machine-gun  range.  It  is  necessary 
actually  to  strike  the  gun  itself  in  order  to  put  it 
out  of  action.  I  saw  some  of  our  shells  literally 
bury  guns  with  dirt  and  yet  do  virtually  no  injury. 
Our  marksmanship  was  excellent,— splendid  line 
shots,  that  tore  up  the  shrubs  and  earth  along  the 
whole  front  of  the  battery,— but  I  did  not  see  a 
single  gun  disabled,  and  every  time  we  would 
slacken,  the  Spaniards  would  come  up  and  fire 
away.  I  understood  how  they  could  thus  make  the 
vaunted  "  last  shot." 

While  absorbed  in  watching  the  Socapa  south 
west  battery,  a  projectile  struck  the  roof  just  over 
my  head,  exploded,  and  carried  a  pile  of  brick  and 
mortar  along,  dropping  it  into  the  water.  Once 

198 


MORRO    CASTLE   FROM    THE    SOUTHWEST. 

Mr.  Hobson's  cell  was  directly  under  the  flag  on  the  left.    The  flag 

on  the  extreme  right  is  at  the  eastern  batteiy. 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MOEEO  CASTLE 

more  I  took  to  the  table,  only  to  come  forth  again 
after  a  few  moments'  reassurance,  stopping  this 
time  to  look  through  the  small  barred  window  of 
the  door.  The  ships,  however,  were  too  close  in  to 
be  seen,  and  there  were  only  two  men  in  the  court 
yard,  down  by  the  door  of  the  cell  of  my  men.  I 
climbed  up  again,  and  became  absorbed  in  the  firing. 
I  saw  one  projectile  explode  on  the  bow  of  the 
Eeina  Mercedes,  which  was  already  on  fire.  I 
wondered  at  the  time  if  Captain  Acosta  were  there, 
as  he  had  told  me  it  was  his  special  station.  An 
other  struck  far  over  across  Smith  Cay,  just  in 
front  of  the  Vizcaya.  Another  struck  just  in  front 
of  the  Merrimac's  foremast,  close  by  a  boat  at  the 
middle  of  a  boom  made  up  of  spars  and  chains, 
which  the  enemy  had  constructed  from  Smith  Cay 
to  Churruca  Point  as  an  obstruction.1  Several, 
one  of  them  a  thirteen-inch,  hit  Churruca  Point, 
which  was  apparently  mistaken  by  our  gunner  for 
Punta  Grorda.  Many  continued  to  pass  over  my 
cell,  and  I  wondered  if  our  ships  were  trying  high- 
angle  fire  over  the  Morro  into  the  harbor  beyond. 
Finally  one  struck  apparently  in  the  cell  next 
beyond  mine  on  the  same  level,  and  for  the  third 
time  I  took  to  my  barricade.  This  was  the  last 

1  This  boom  was  just  above  the  breaking  joint.    I  had  first  noticed 

sunken  Merrimac,  and  was  com-  it  on  the  morning  of  our  adventure 

posed  of  two  lines  of  spars  and  from  the   catamaran  soon   after 

chains— the   spars   end    on    and  dawn. 

201 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEBRIMAC" 

time,  however,  for  I  felt  that  it  was  important  to 
make  full  observation  of  the  enemy's  defenses,  as 
it  would  probably  be  the  only  chance  by  daylight, 
and  that  I  would  be  justified  in  remaining  at  the 
window  until  it  was  clearly  demonstrated  that  the 
fleet  had  turned  full  on  the  Morro. 

While  looking  this  time,  I  saw  men  come  out 
from  beyond  Socapa,  near  the  Reina  Mercedes,  and 
run  along  the  path  near  the  water  to  the  batteries 
on  the  slopes.  These  were  so  effectually  concealed 
that  only  when  the  men  came  out  was  I  able  to 
locate  the  pieces.  Probably  these  were  reserved 
for  vessels  that  might  attempt  to  run  in,  and  it 
was  because  they  did  not  wish  our  vessels  to  find 
their  locations  that  they  did  not  fire  out  of  the 
entrance— even  those  that  could.  There  must  have 
been  a  false  alarm  of  a  vessel  starting  in,  for  the 
men  came  running  along  the  path.  Then  one  of 
our  vessels  must  have  discovered  them,  for  soon 
there  was  a  burst  of  shrapnel,  sweeping  the  shore 
line,  and  before  many  minutes  the  men  ran  back 
more  rapidly  than  they  came  out. 

The  bombardment  continued  thus  for  about  three 
hours,  and  afforded  me  ample  time  to  impress  on 
my  memory  the  exact  location  of  all  the  guns  and 
an  exact  picture  of  the  surrounding  topography; 
and  instinctively  I  began  to  evolve  plans  for  taking 
the  western  side  of  the  entrance,  landing  in  the 
direction  of  Cabanas,  advancing  and  placing  artil- 

202 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

lery  on  the  ridge  beyond  Socapa,  opening  upon  the 
sea  battery  from  the  flank  and  rear,  and  making  a 
night  assault  on  all  the  positions  of  Socapa,  coming 
down  from  above  on  those  of  the  slopes,  extending 
the  operation  to  boarding  the  Eeina  Mercedes  from 
the  starboard  side,  from  which  the  guns  had  been 
removed,  and  destroying  her  if  she  could  not  be 
held  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy  from  Punta  Gorda 
and  the  fleet.  I  believed  that  the  battery  to  the 
eastward  of  the  Morro  could  be  similarly  taken 
from  the  rear.  The  work  would  have  to  be  done 
quickly  to  avoid  the  massing  of  Spanish  troops  to 
cut  off  the  advance,  and,  in  the  case  of  the  Morro 
side,  such  reinforcements  could  be  sent  down  ra 
pidly  from  the  city.  On  each  side  the  guns  would 
probably  have  to  be  destroyed  and  then  aban 
doned.  The  main  operation,  the  entrance  of  the 
fleet,  might  begin  at  daybreak,  and  I  set  to  work 
on  the  details  of  its  entrance  and  of  the  tactics 
necessary  to  destroy  the  enemy's  fleet  most  effec 
tually. 

Finally  the  firing  ceased.  I  came  down  quietly, 
after  closing  my  eyes  several  times  to  be  sure  that 
I  could  picture  the  scene  with  accuracy.  I  pulled 
the  cot  back,  put  the  table  and  wash-stand  and  box 
in  place,  put  on  a  clean  pair  of  trousers,  and  was 
sitting  unconcernedly  rocking  when  the  sentry 
returned  and  opened  the  door. 

Soon  I  saw  the  soldiers  coming  in,  begrimed  and 
205 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

fagged  out,  showing  that  the  garrison  had  manned 
the  eastern  battery.  Sponges  and  rammers  were 
brought  in,  and  I  noticed  that  they  were  all  for 
muzzle-loading  guns.  In  vain  I  looked  to  see  any 
gear  from  a  breech-loader.  The  two  guns  nearest 
the  Morro  on  the  Socapa  were  breech-loaders,  which 
appeared  to  be  about  six-inch,  carrying  the  regular 
ship  form  of  shield ;  and  I  concluded  that  they  had 
been  taken  from  the  starboard  side  of  the  Mercedes. 
The  guns  on  the  slope  of  Socapa  were  so  well  con 
cealed  that  it  was  difficult  to  determine  just  what 
guns  they  were.  One,  high  up,  had  its  barrel 
extending  beyond  a  mask  of  brush,  and  seemed  to 
be  a  four-inch.  The  main  point  with  these  guns, 
however,  was  their  position,  and  after  the  continued 
observation  I  believed  I  could  lead  an  assaulting 
party  to  them  even  on  a  dark  night. 

The  kitchen,  being  on  an  exposed  side,  had  been 
abandoned  during  the  bombardment,  and  luncheon 
was  late.  Well  satisfied  with  the  morning's  experi 
ence,  I  had  a  ravenous  appetite,  and  thought  the 
rice  and  frijoles  excellent.  I  found,  in  course  of 
time,  that  an  appetite  was  the  most  difficult  feature 
connected  with  the  full  appreciation  of  this  ration. 
As  the  attendant  brought  the  pans  up,  he  stooped 
and  picked  up  something  from  the  threshold. 
"  What  is  this  I "  he  asked.  It  was  a  piece  of  shell 
that  had  struck  the  door  and  fallen.  I  put  it  in 
my  box,  and  asked  him  if  my  men  were  all  right. 

206 


BARBED-WIRE    ENTANGLEMENT    NEAR    THE    MORRO. 


IMPRISONMENT  IN  MORRO  CASTLE 

He  said  they  were,  but  that  five  men  had  been 
wounded  in  the  Morro.1 

It  appeared  to  me  as  rather  singular  that  the 
Morro  should  not  have  been  taken  up  as  a  principal 
target.  Perhaps  the  other  work  had  been  enough 
for  one  time,  and  the  Morro  was  reserved  for  an 
other.  Thinking  over  the  matter  during  luncheon, 
I  determined  to  make  a  protest  against  our  reten 
tion  in  the  Morro,  and,  with  the  pencil  and  part  of 
the  paper  left  by  the  judge,  wrote  an  official  letter 
to  General  Linares,  protesting  against  such  abuse, 
particularly  when  he  had  informed  the  American 
admiral  that  we  had  been  removed;  and  I  sent  a 
similar  letter  to  the  British  consul,  adding  that 
personally  the  experience  of  the  forenoon  had  been 
interesting  and  valuable. 

The  afternoon  passed.  Toward  sunset  a  shot  was 
fired  from  the  eastern  battery,  and  the  garrison 
rushed  out.  But  it  was  a  false  alarm.  The  sea  in 
the  caverns,  which  had  all  along  made  weird  rum- 

1  I  learned  afterward  that  two  on  the  lightning-rod  over  my  cell, 

of  these  men  died.     As  to  the  fir-  which  my  men  could  see  from  their 

ing  on  the  Morro,  I  was  informed  cell.     The  regular  flagpole  is  on 

by  the  admiral,  after  exchange,  the  other  side  of  the  fort,  and  so 

that  he  had  directed  the  Morro  to  far  as  I  could  learn  a  flag  had  not 

"be  spared,  believing  that  the  pris-  been  hoisted  on  the  lightning-rod 

oners    were    there.     Apparently  before   and  was  not  afterward, 

the  gunners  simply  could  not',  re-  Evidently   the    shots    that   kept 

sist  such  a  target.     My  men  told  passing  over  my  head  were  efforts 

me  afterward  that,  as  soon  as  the  to  bring  down  the  flag,  and  it  was 

bombardment  began,   the  Span-  probably  one  of  these  that  killed 

iards  hoisted  a  big  Spanish  flag  the  men. 

209 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

blings,  resounded  like  the  shock  of  a  heavy  projec 
tile,  and  again  and  again,  until  I  went  to  sleep, 
there  would  be  the  startling  sensation  of  reopening 
the  bombardment,  which  each  time  would  require 
the  reassurance  of  my  reason  that  it  was  only  the 
sea. 

About  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  my  door  was  thrown 
open,  and  an  officer  appeared  in  boots  and  spurs, 
covered  with  mud,  showing  under  the  dim  light 
carried  by  an  orderly. 

"I  have  come,"  he  said,  "from  General  Linares, 
who  has  directed  that  the  prisoners  be  transferred 
to  Santiago,  to  start  at  daylight  to-morrow." 

"  Very  well,"  I  replied ;  "  have  my  men  informed, 
and  we  shall  be  ready." 

"The  general  wishes  you  to  understand,  how 
ever,"  the  officer  continued,  "  that  this  action  is  not 
due  to  your  protest  of  this  afternoon." 

I  did  not  reply,  but  smiled  to  myself  as  the  officer 
left. 


210 


PART  IV 

PRISON  LIFE  IN  SANTIAGO  AND   OBSERVA 
TIONS  OF  THE  SIEGE 

The  tramp  from  the  Morro  to  Santiago— The  new  prison— The 
writer's  comfortable  quarters— A  visit  from  the  British  consul 
—Sad  news  of  Acosta— First  tidings  from  home— The  first 
meal  in  the  new  quarters— A  bit  of  child  life— The  first  night 
—Protests  against  the  treatment  of  the  crew— Boxing-gloves 
and  reading-matter— Plans  for  escape— Despair  of  being  ex 
changed—The  Spanish  soldier  and  his  horse— Brutality  to 
(Jogs —Studying  the  military  situation— The  question  of  health 
—Nature  from  a  prison  window— The  British  consul's  atten 
tions—His  noble  character— First  sight  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
—Two  ruses— The  battles  of  July  1  (El  Caney  and  San  Juan) 
—Notes  of  the  fighting  of  July  2— July  3:  hearing  the  guns 
of  the  fleets— July  4 :  non-combatants  leaving— A  bold  request 
—Exchange  at  last— A  lamented  enemy— Good-bys— A  sin 
gular  cavalcade— Through  the  lines— Back  to  the  flagship. 

BY  sunrise  next  morning  (Tuesday,  June  7)  we 
were  off  for  Santiago.  I  found  my  men  wait 
ing  under  the  entrance  archway,  and  I  formed  them 
in  column  of  twos,  and  we  marched  out  with  military 
step,  a  guard  of  about  thirty  soldiers  with  us  under 
the  command  of  a  lieutenant,  one  third  in  front 

211 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEBEIMAC" 

and  the  rest  behind.  We  broke  step  on  the  hill 
side,  and  filed  down  the  same  path  by  which  we 
had  come  up.  I  had  already  decided  which  fea 
tures  of  the  harbor  defense  I  would  observe  with 
special  care  as  we  passed;  but  upon  arriving  at 
the  head  of  Estrella  Cove,  to  my  surprise  and  dis 
appointment,  the  leaders  turned  inland.  It  was 
evident  that  we  were  not  to  be  taken  up  by  boat 
through  the  harbor,  as  I  had  expected,  but  were  to 
tramp  up  by  dirt  road.  I  asked  Murphy  if  his  hip 
gave  him  any  trouble,  and  whether  he  thought  he 
could  stand  a  long  tramp.  He  was  sure  he  could, 
and  the  whole  party  started  ahead,  single  file,  up 
the  ravine  that  runs  into  Estrella  Cove. 

One  can  hardly  imagine  the  exhilaration  we  felt. 
It  is  true  that  we  had  been  in  prison  only  four  days, 
but  it  had  been  weeks  since  any  of  us  had  been 
ashore,  and  it  was  our  first  tramp  in  Cuba.  The 
tropical  vegetation  had  special  interest.  There 
were  shrubs  and  trees  that  we  had  never  seen 
before,  and  we  picked  flowers  of  rich  color  from 
the  pathside,  to  the  amusement  of  the  soldiers,  who 
seemed  themselves  to  have  no  interest  in  life,  na 
ture,  or  anything  else.  However,  they  kept  a  keen 
eye  on  their  prisoners.  I  measured  the  chances  of 
an  attempt  to  break  away.  We  had  the  advantage 
of  greater  vigor,  and  I  felt  we  could  make  a  dash 
and  overpower  and  disarm  an  equal  number,  or 
perhaps  the  ten  ahead;  but  twenty  more  behind, 

212 


PKISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

with  bayonets  and  magazine-guns,  were  too  many. 
I  took  careful  note  of  the  directions  of  the  path, 
taking  bearings  by  the  sun,  which  could  be  seen, 
though  screened  with  clouds,  and  examined  the 
approaches  on  the  right  and  left.  The  path  would 
admit  of  the  passage  of  artillery,  and  would  serve 
either  for  an  advance  on  the  city  from  the  south 
or  an  advance  on  Morro  from  the  north.  The 
heights  on  both  sides  of  the  ravine,  however,  would 
have  to  be  controlled  by  advance  infantry.  For 
several  miles  the  sides  were  almost  perpendicular, 
presenting  remarkable  aspects  of  erosion  by  water, 
vast  caverns  having  been  cut  out  like  those  under 
Morro.  One  thought  what  lodgings  they  would 
make  for  ambush.  While  passing  through  the 
ravine  we  could  see  nothing  beyond  the  steep, 
rocky  banks  for  about  fifty  yards  on  each  side ;  but 
finally  the  mountains  back  of  Santiago  loomed  up 
ahead,  and  soon  the  ravine  drew  to  a  gentle  rise 
on  each  side,  and  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
waters  of  the  bay.  We  had  covered  probably  five 
miles  without  seeing  a  sign  of  fort,  blockhouse, 
trench,  or  pit;  but  as  the  path  turned  westward, 
near  the  railroad,  there  ahead  of  us,  on  the  left,  a 
detachment  of  pioneers  was  constructing  works  to 
bear  upon  the  path  and  railroad ;  and  across  on  the 
right,  beyond  the  railroad,  was  a  detachment  of 
cavalry  mounted  on  ponies— the  first  cavalry  I  had 
seen,  so  I  studied  them  closely.  The  officer  in 

215 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

charge  apparently  had  something  to  say  to  the 
officer  in  command  of  our  guard.  We  came  to 
attention,  caught  step,  column  of  twos,  and  came 
to  a  halt,  right  face,  as  the  guard  halted.  My  men 
held  their  heads  up,  marched  with  a  fine  sailor 
swing,  obeyed  orders  with  precision,  and  made  an 
excellent  appearance,  well  brought  out  by  contrast 
with  the  Spanish  soldiers.  I  felt  proud  of  them,  as 
indeed  I  did  all  through  the  imprisonment.  I  noted 
the  critical  looks  of  the  Spanish  officers  and  sol 
diers—looks  that  told  of  their  interest  in  coming 
events.  While  the  officers  conferred,  the  water- 
bucket  was  passed  around ;  for  though  the  sun  had 
remained  screened,  walking  was  rather  hot  work. 

We  started  off  as  we  had  come  up,  and  the  looks 
of  interest  from  the  Spanish  followed  till  we  turned 
out  of  sight  up  the  railroad-track.  Clearing  a  cut, 
the  bay  burst  upon  us ;  and  there,  quietly  moored, 
in  dark  dignity  lay  the  fleet,  the  Colon,  distin 
guished  by  her  single  mast,  seeming  to  have  a 
special  dignity  of  her  own— at  least,  to  my  fancy, 
that  pictured  below  the  surface  her  wonderfully 
distributed  armor  and  her  remarkable  machinery, 
combined  with  an  equally  remarkable  battery.  A 
launch  was  alongside  of  the  Vizcaya,  in  front  of  the 
spot  where  the  projectile  had  struck  the  day  before, 
and  it  seemed  to  me  that  they  were  repairing  dam 
ages.  A  fine  merchant  vessel  lay  farther  up,  and 
beyond  her  a  number  of  smaller  craft.  The  shore 

216 


PEISON  LIFE-THE   SIEGE 

and  approaches  were  attractive,  with  hillocks  and 
valleys  of  cocoanut-palms  and  a  rich  growth  of 
grass ;  but  above  the  keen  sensation  of  the  beauty 
of  the  picture  was  the  pervading  thought  that  the 
enemy  held  control,  and  I  looked  at  everything  as 
though  I  were  on  a  reconnaissance.  The  hillocks 
each  had  a  blockhouse,  but  there  seemed  to  be  no 
trenches  or  earthworks.  I  thought  what  magnifi 
cent  vantage-ground  the  hillocks  would  furnish  for 
artillery  to  reduce  the  city. 

The  railroad  soon  turned  to  the  left  toward  the 
bay,  and  numerous  dumping-cars  showed  that  it 
was  used  principally  for  ore.  But  the  cars  seemed 
not  to  have  been  used  for  a  long  time,  and  there 
was  a  general  air  of  depression.  We  continued 
turning  away  from  the  railroad,  and  began  to  pass 
huts,  from  which  half-dressed  children  peered  with 
frightened  faces.  I  was  making  some  inquiries 
about  the  inhabitants  from  the  officer  in  charge  of 
the  guard,  when  a  cavalry  detachment  appeared 
ahead  under  a  large  tree,  the  troopers  in  the  saddle, 
and  an  officer  standing  near  a  carriage.  The  officer 
came  forward  to  meet  us,  and  announced  that  he 
had  been  sent  by  the  commanding  general  with  an 
escort  to  conduct  us  into  the  city.  He  was  a  major 
on  the  staff  of  G  eneral  Toral,  I  understood,  and  the 
troopers  must  have  belonged  to  the  body-guard. 
One  can  scarcely  imagine  a  more  picturesque  group, 
or  one  with  more  color.  Blue  predominated,  but 
10  219 


THE  SINKING   OF  THE  "MERRIMAC* 

bright  red  set  it  off  on  borders,  wristlets,  etc.  The 
colors  might  have  been  called  gaudy  but  for  a  very 
artistic  arrangement  in  blending.  The  major  asked 
if  I  would  be  kind  enough  to  join  him  in  the  car 
riage,  where  another  officer  of  the  staff  was  waiting. 
I  asked  if  he  would  allow  one  of  my  men  who  had 
been  wounded  to  ride  with  the  driver.  He  con 
sented,  and  Murphy  jumped  up  on  the  driver's  seat. 
The  guard  from  the  Morro  was  dismissed,  the  officer 
in  charge  of  it  shaking  hands  with  me  heartily. 

I  put  Montague  in  charge  of  the  little  squad, 
with  directions  to  keep  step  and  preserve  military 
bearing,  and  we  started  for  the  city,  the  carriage 
being  followed  by  the  squad,  the  troopers  riding 
along  on  each  side,  with  carbines  on  their  hips. 

We  flanked  the  city  toward  the  east,  skirting  it 
on  the  south  side.  I  could  look  down  the  streets 
for  some  distance  without  seeing  any  building  of 
importance,  the  houses  being  more  or  less  alike— 
small  one-story  structures  with  high  windows  and 
doors,  the  windows  covered  with  iron  bars  outside, 
all  of  a  kind  of  stucco,  and  the  roofs  of  tile.  Here 
again  blue  predominated,  but  there  was  the  general 
light  or  white  effect  that  I  had  noticed  in  Latin 
provincial  towns  and  cities.  At  last  we  came  up  to 
the  long  two-story  barracks  known  as  the  Ouartel 
Reina  Mercedes,  situated  on  the  eastern  edge  of 
the  city  beside  the  large  military  hospital.  We 
passed  along  the  front  of  the  barracks,  and  stopped 

220 


PKISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

at  the  door  in  the  middle,  the  major  Haying  that 
this  waH  to  be  our  new  quarters.  A  major  whom 
I  took  to  be  in  command  of  the  barracks  met  us. 
Tin-  major  of  the  staff  in  the  carri?i<.'e  introduced 
me,  and  turned  over  the  prisoners,  saying  that  our 
effects  were  on  the  way  and  would  soon  be  brought 
up,  I  having  expressed  solicitude  on  the  subject,  as 
a  storm  had  caught  us  just  before  reaching  the 
barracks,  and  my  men  were  wet.  A  guard  con 
ducted  them  through  the  entrance  into  the  court 
yard  beyond,  where  they  turned  to  the  left,  while 
the  major  showed  me  into  the  room  of  the  officer 
of  the  day  on  the  right.  The  two  officers  bade  me 
a  kind  and  courteous  farewell,  and  the  escort  left. 
The  major  introduced  the  officer  of  the  day,  and 
ordered  drinks  for  three,  being  rather  surprised  at 
my  choice  of  a  thirst  drink,  insisting  that  they  had 
superior  brands  of  cognac  and  rum. 

Luncheon  was  being  served,  and  the  major 
ordered  mine  to  be  served  on  the  table  of  the 
officer  of  the  day,  giving  special  direction  to  bring 
table-cloth,  napkin,  etc.,  with  a  bottle  of  claret; 
arid  the  two  officers  sat  by  to  entertain  me  as  I  ate. 
The  major  was  called  away  soon,  leaving  the  officer 
of  the  day  and  me  alone.  I  did  not  know  at  the 
time,  but  learned  afterward,  that  General  Toral 
passed  about  that  time,  and  observing  the  scene, 
had  the  officer  of  the  day  put  in  solitary  confine 
ment  in  the  Morro.  I  was  astonished  to  learn  this, 

221 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

for  my  host,  as  I  soon  saw,  was  waiting  only  till 
my  room  should  be  ready.  It  was  opposite  his 
room,  beyond  the  first  room,  which  was  occupied 
by  the  sergeant  of  the  guard,  and  I  could  see  sol 
diers  sweeping  and  washing  up,  while  furniture 
was  being  taken  in,  among  which  I  noticed  with 
satisfaction  a  kind  of  cot-bed,  an  iron  frame  with 
canvas  stretched  across,  the  frame  rising  up  to 
hold  a  mosquito-net.  A  Sister  of  Charity  came 
with  it,  and  I  knew  that  it  had  been  brought  from 
the  hospital. 

When  we  were  through  luncheon,  the  officer  con 
ducted  me  across  to  my  room.  Over  the  entrance 
were  the  words,  "  Sala  de  la  Justicia,"  which  indi 
cated  a  court-martial  room.  It  was  large,  airy, 
and  bright,  with  a  big  window  looking  across  the 
road  over  the  country  toward  the  mountains  to  the 
east  and  northeast.  It  was  freshly  whitewashed, 
with  an  asphaltum  coating  at  the  bottom  of  the 
walls  that,  drying,  gave  a  wholesome  odor.  As 
we  entered,  the  sister  was  giving  the  last  touches 
to  the  linen.  She  had  evidently  been  detailed  to 
see  the  room  fitted  up  with  the  regular  furniture 
of  an  officer's  room  at  the  hospital,  and  it  was  a 
beautiful  sight  to  see  the  pains  she  took  to  have 
everything  dainty  and  orderly.  As  she  left,  she 
slipped  a  little  package  on  the  table,  a  cake  of 
guava  jelly.  Of  all  the  kindnesses  and  attentions 
I  received,  none  touched  me  more  deeply.  The 

222 


MR.  HOBSON'S  ARRIVAL  AT  HIS  ROOM  IN  THE  CUARTEL. 


PRISON  LIFE-TEE   SIEGE 

jelly  lasted  a  long  time,  for  I  husbanded  it,  taking 
only  a  very  little  after  each  meal.  It  kept  before 
me  the  picture  of  these  devoted  sisters  ministering 
in  hospitals  and  prisons,  and  wherever  else  there  is 
human  suffering  upon  the  earth. 

The  officer  of  the  day  withdrew,  with  assurances 
that  he  would  be  at  my  service,  near  at  hand,  for 
anything  I  might  wish.  When  the  sister  left,  the 
sentry  closed  and  bolted  the  door,  and  placed  him 
self  on  the  outside,  abreast  a  round  hole  cut  at 
about  the  height  of  the  eye ;  then  came  the  peculiar 
sensation,  to  which  I  could  never  become  accus 
tomed,  of  having  an  eye  watching  me  all  the  time. 
This  surveillance  proved  the  greatest  of  all  impedi 
ments  in  my  plans  for  escape. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  cart  arrived  bringing 
our  effects  from  the  Morro.  The  cot  was  no  longer 
required,  so  it  was  folded  and  put  against  the  back 
wall.  The  small  table  which  I  had  used  as  a  wash- 
stand  now  served  for  a  dressing-table,  while  the 
larger  table  answered  for  a  sideboard.  Chairs  had 
already  been  provided,  and  with  those  from  Morro 
there  were  enough  for  a  reception— two  rockers 
and  four  or  five  others.  The  room  was  so  large 
that  there  was  no  necessity  for  removing  anything. 
My  quarters  were  certainly  in  marked  contrast 
with  the  cell  of  the  Morro,  and  there  was  every 
thing  to  contribute  to  cheerfulness  and  comfort. 
But  the  fine  view  from  the  window  could  not  make 

225 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

up  for  the  loss  of  the  sight  of  our  ships  and  the 
majestic  sea  horizon. 

I  was  still  walking  up  and  down  when  a  carriage 
drove  up,  and  a  fine-looking  gentleman  of  superb 
build  alighted  and  came  into  the  barracks.  Soon 
the  officer  of  the  day  opened  the  door  and  an 
nounced  the  British  consul. 

Mr.  Eamsden  met  me  with  a  hearty  though  un 
demonstrative  greeting,  and  I  soon  perceived  in 
this  man  the  finest  flower  of  human  kindness.  He 
said  he  had  received  my  letter  of  the  previous  day 
relative  to  the  prisoners  being  kept  in  the  Morro, 
and  had  gone  at  once  to  see  General  Linares ;  that 
he  had  seen  General  Toral,  who  gave  assurances 
of  removal ;  that  the  matter  had  been  settled  upon 
the  return  of  General  Linares,  who  had  been  down 
at  the  Morro  during  the  bombardment.  "  Ah,"  I 
thought,  "  General  Linares,  then,  had  been  in  the 
Morro,  and  had  left  us  exposed  when  he  knew 
Morro  was  being  fired  on— had  left  me  up  in  the 
most  exposed  of  all  positions  when  by  a  word  and 
without  any  difficulty  he  could  have  had  us  all 
placed  in  a  position  of  complete  safety ! "  He 
went  on  to  say  that  General  Linares  told  him,  as 
he  had  told  Captain  Bustamante,  that  he  would  not 
visit  me  for  fear  that  he  might  not  afterward  be 
able  to  do  his  official  duty. 

Mr.  Eamsden  said  he  had  just  come  from  a 
funeral,  which  had  detained  him  somewhat.  "A 

226 


PEISON  LIFE-THE   SIEGE 

very  sad  funeral,"  he  added,  "a  Spanish  com 
mander—a  fine  fellow,  who  had  been  mortally 
wounded  in  the  bombardment— the  executive 
officer  of  the  Eeina  Mercedes."  "Not  Captain 
Acosta ! "  I  exclaimed,  and  a  great  rush  of  pain 
and  grief  swept  over  me.  Acosta,  who  was  so 
kind  to  me !  Yes,  it  was  he.  The  gallant  fellow 
was  forward  on  the  Mercedes  when  a  shell  entered 
and  exploded,  killing  five  men  and  wounding  a 
number  of  others— probably  the  very  shell  which 
I  had  remarked.  The  surgeon  ran  at  once  to 
Acosta,  whose  right  leg  had  been  cut  off  at  the 
hip;  but  Acosta  put  him  away,  directing  him  to 
attend  first  to  the  groaning  seamen.  There  was 
no  hope  for  him;  he  lived  about  two  hours,  and 
died  with  the  fortitude  of  a  brave  man  who  had 
done  his  duty.  I  felt  a  void,  a  great  personal  loss, 
as  for  a  dear  friend.  It  is  strange  how  short  a 
period  is  necessary  in  war-time  to  make  a  place  in 
the  heart  for  one  who  has  the  fine  traits  of  the  true 
soldier.  With  the  thought  of  Acosta's  death,  I 
could  scarcely  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  subse 
quent  conversation.  We  talked  chiefly  about  the 
bombardment.  Mr.  Ramsden  had  seen  it  from  his 
country  house,  between  the  city  and  the  Morro, 
and  had  been  most  impressed,  like  myself,  with 
the  thirteen-inch  shells  and  their  manifestations  of 
power,  being  particularly  interested  in  the  sound 
of  those  that,  striking,  proceeded  on,  tumbling, 

227 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEBKIMAC" 

and  making  pulsating,  puffing  sounds  like  a 
switching  locomotive.  He  said  the  Mercedes  had 
received  the  greatest  punishment,  having  been 
three  times  set  on  fire;  that  men  had  been  killed 
at  the  Morro,  but  that,  though  some  of  the  guns 
of  the  sea  batteries  were  literally  buried,  the  bat 
teries  had  not  suffered  material  damage.  To  Mr. 
Eamsden's  inquiries  as  to  my  wants  I  replied  that 
about  everything  required  for  comfort  had  been 
supplied,  but  that  I  should  be  very  much  indebted 
if  he  would  use  his  good  offices  to  help  bring  about 
our  exchange,  requesting  him  to  call  attention  to 
the  many  prisoners  at  Manila.  He  assured  me 
that  everything  possible  on  his  part  would  be 
done.  I  requested  that  application  be  made  for 
my  men  to  have  the  same  privileges  as  at  the 
Morro  in  the  matter  of  cleanliness  and  health, 
and  the  consul  said  he  was  on  his  way  to  see 
them.  He  made  a  cheerful  atmosphere,  and  I 
knew  from  his  first  visit  that  we  should  receive 
the  benefit  of  all  his  influence,  personal  and 
official. 

Mr.  Eamsden  had  been  gone  only  a  short  while 
when  the  officer  of  the  day  brought  in  a  cablegram, 
sent  in  care  of  Admiral  Cervera.  The  sight  of  it 
made  my  pulse  quicken,  as  I  divined  that  it  came 
from  the  United  States.  It  was  a  message  of  kind 
ness  from  the  Southern  Society  of  Brooklyn,  the 
first  that  reached  me ;  and  I  felt  then  that  we  were 

228 


PEISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

not  being  forgotten  by  our  countrymen,  and  my 
hopes  for  an  early  exchange  rose. 

I  sat  down  in  the  rocker  in  front  of  the  window, 
and  looked  out  at  the  lengthening  shadows  and 
the  softening  light  as  the  sun  sank  lower.  There 
was  a  pervading  stillness,  and  a  sadness  seemed  to 
overhang  nature.  Kind  and  noble  Acosta,  to  be 
cut  off  so  soon ! 

Soldiers  came  and  went,  passing  my  window, 
which  I  soon  saw  was  a  vantage-ground  of  obser 
vation  for  all  movements  and  operations  to  the 
east  and  northeast  of  the  town.  From  time  to 
time  small  groups  of  infantry  and  cavalry  came 
up  to  the  entrance.  Some  came  in,  others  stopped 
only  for  a  while ;  all  were  only  a  few  yards  from 
where  I  sat,  and  admitted  of  the  closest  scrutiny. 
Many  officers  and  privates  came  regularly,  and 
day  after  day  I  would  study  these  groups. 

Along  toward  five  o'clock  soldiers  set  out  from  the 
entrance,  carrying  large  tin  buckets ;  usually  two 
went  together,  with  a  pole  between  them,  resting 
on  their  shoulders  and  supporting  two  buckets. 
Leaves  lay  over  them,  but  it  was  not  long  before 
some  of  the  contents  spilled  over,  and  I  discovered 
that  they  contained  boiled  rice  and  boiled  frijoles. 
The  barracks,  I  saw,  was  being  used  to  supply  pro 
visions  for  troops  round  about.  Later,  after  the 
arrival  of  our  troops,  cart-loads  of  boxed  provi 
sions  were  sent  out.  I  was  not  long  in  discover- 

229 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKIMAC" 

ing  that  the  barracks  was  being  used  also  to  confine 
military  prisoners,  there  being  seventy-five  or  eighty 
in  confinement  at  the  time,  and  that  there  was  a 
hospital  service  in  one  portion,  perhaps  for  the 
overflow  from  the  military  hospital.  These  services 
seemed  to  be  more  important  than  the  barrack  ser 
vice  proper,  the  number  of  troops  coming  and  going 
varying  from  time  to  time. 

Promptly  at  five  o'clock  a  soldier  came  with  my 
meal,  and  in  a  well-trained  manner  spread  a  tidy 
table-cloth,  placed  a  napkin,  and  arranged  knives, 
forks,  and  spoons  for  a  regular  course  dinner.  I 
had  him  place  the  table  in  front  of  the  window,  so 
that  I  might  look  out  while  eating.  He  put  the 
Morro  table  to  the  rear,  using  it  for  a  side-table, 
and  stood  up  behind  me,  changing  the  plate  as 
required.  It  seemed  rather  strange  to  have  a 
course  dinner  in  prison.  There  were  seldom  fewer 
than  three  courses:  frijoles,  rice,  and  beef,  and 
sometimes  sardines ;  then,  for  a  long  time,  a  bit  of 
the  guava  jelly ;  and  for  a  while  fruit,  which  the 
British  consul  sent.  When  the  courses  were 
through,  the  attendant  cleared  the  table  and 
served  a  small  cup  of  hot  black  coffee.  I  would 
change  my  chair,  taking  a  rocker,  and  sip  the 
coffee,  looking  out  over  the  landscape,  and  for  the 
time  only  the  double  row  of  bars  reminded  me  that 
I  was  a  prisoner.  Those  bars  were  a  great  nuisance. 
One  series  is  bad  enough,  but  two  were  exasperat- 

230 


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PEISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

ing,  as  the  eyes  and  head  had  to  go  through  a  course 
of  gymnastics  before  a  clear-away  channel  of  sight 
could  be  had,  and  even  then  the  slightest  movement 
set  a  bar  across  one  eye,  and  the  effort  to  clear  it 
threw  a  bar  of  the  other  series  across  the  other 
eye;  and  all  the  while  an  enticing  landscape  lay 
beyond. 

As  the  dinner-hour  approached,  a  number  of 
children  gathered  about  the  entrance,  bringing 
pails  of  various  kinds  to  get  the  rice  and  frijoles 
left  by  the  soldiers.  They  ranged  from  five  to 
twelve  years,  and  were  of  all  colors,  black,  white, 
and  indifferent.  All  had  some  amount  of  covering, 
some  full  cover,  some  half  cover,  others  quarter 
cover,  and  some  a  smaller  fraction.  They  were 
thoroughly  democratic,  without  respect  of  color  or 
amount  of  covering,  and  being  comparatively  well 
nourished,  were  full  of  sport  among  themselves 
while  they  waited — a  most  interesting  picture  to 
watch.  That  was  a  marked  day  for  them.  As  each 
newcomer  would  arrive,  the  others  would  point  out 
the  officer  behind  the  bars.  They  formed  in  groups 
to  look,  and  the  close  observers  would  make  new 
discoveries  from  time  to  time.  Gradually  they 
came  closer  and  closer. 

One,  a  little  girl  with  large,  thoughtful  brown 
eyes,  looked  a  long  time  without  saying  anything, 
and  then  came  closer  than  all  the  rest.  She  was 
certainly  not  more  than  eight  years  old,  but  she 

233 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

had  her  hair  up,  with  a  long  Mother-Hubbard  gown 
that  came  nearly  to  the  ground.  Her  face  was 
delicately  molded,  and  with  her  remarkable  eyes 
she  formed  an  appealing  picture.  I  made  a  guava- 
jelly  sandwich,  and  told  the  attendant  to  hand  it 
to  her.  From  his  looks  he  apparently  questioned 
the  wisdom  of  doing  it,  but  upon  my  order  obeyed. 
The  little  girPs  eyes  sparkled.  But  she  had  scarcely 
taken  the  sandwich  when  there  was  a  wild  scatter 
ing  of  the  groups,  and  she  ran,  frightened,  faster 
than  the  rest.  The  sentry  at  the  entrance  had  seen 
and  given  chase.  I  jumped  up,  but  he  stopped, 
probably  not  venturing  to  leave  his  post  farther. 
I  little  appreciated  then  how  innately  suspicious 
the  Spaniards  are.  I  learned  afterward  that,  up 
to  General  Linares  himself,  they  thought  that  I 
had  on  foot  a  conspiracy  with  the  Cubans  in  the 
city,  and  after  the  first  day  no  one  was  allowed  to 
pass  on  the  cuartel  side  of  the  street.  Two  young 
Cubans,  boys  about  fourteen,  who  happened  to  be 
passing,  evidently  on  a  harmless  stroll,  the  follow 
ing  Sunday  afternoon,  though  still  on  the  far  side 
of  the  street,  stopped  to  look,  out  of  sheer  boyish 
curiosity.  The  British  consul  told  me  afterward 
that  these  boys  were  put  in  prison,  and  that  the 
sentry  and  sergeant  on  duty  were  put  in  solitary 
confinement  in  double  irons. 

After  carefully  clearing  up,  the  attendant  left, 
asking  at  what  time  "  senor  "  desired  his  coffee  in 

234 


PEISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

the  morning.  He  had  henceforth  entire  charge  of 
the  room,  as  well  as  the  service  of  the  meals,  and 
was  most  attentive  and  efficient.  He  was  in  the 
hospital  service,  and  had  had  excellent  training. 
He  seemed  to  take  pride  in  his  assignment  to  look 
out  for  me,  saying  that  he  had  been  able  to  get  it 
because  he  knew  the  British  consul— "And  a  fine 
man  that,"  he  added,  with  an  emphatic  shake  of 
the  head.  He  was,  in  fact,  an  interesting  character 
in  many  ways,  as  I  afterward  found  out. 

He  was  rather  small  and  somewhat  shriveled, 
and  showed  all  his  thoughts  in  his  face.  He  had 
been  instructed  not  to  communicate  to  me  any 
thing  of  a  military  nature,  and  was  faithful  to  his 
instructions;  but  he  was  as  tender-hearted  as  an 
Irishman,  and  after  the  fighting  began,  I  could  tell 
each  morning  from  the  length  of  his  face  how 
matters  had  gone  the  previous  day. 

Just  before  dark  the  officer  of  the  day  brought 
in  his  relief  and  presented  him,  the  new  officer  of 
the  day  asking  if  there  was  anything  that  I  needed, 
saying  that  he  would  be  always  at  hand,  and 
trusted  I  would  call  upon  him  without  reluctance 
for  anything  whatsoever.  Thus  for  thirty  days 
each  officer  on  duty  would  bring  in  and  present 
his  relief.  They  were  all  first  lieutenants  of  in 
fantry,  and  though  a  different  one  came  every  day, 
they  were,  with  but  one  or  two  exceptions,  kind, 
courteous,  and  considerate. 

235 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

The  lamplighter  came  and  brought  a  lamp ;  but 
I  preferred  a  candle,  which  I  screened  so  that  it 
would  not  be  in  my  eyes  as  I  walked  up  and  down, 
which  I  did  till  about  nine  o'clock,  thinking  over 
the  change  in  the  situation  and  the  problem  of 
entering  the  harbor  and  destroying  the  enemy's 
fleet,  indulging  in  vain  pictures  of  early  release 
and  restoration  to  duty.  My  sleep  was  sound,  and 
I  awakened  with  a  start  at  daybreak,  hearing 
rumbling  sounds  like  peals  of  great  guns  in  the 
distance.  It  proved  to  be  only  the  rumble  of  a 
cart  in  the  courtyard.  This  noise,  like  the  waves 
in  the  caverns  at  Morro,  so  resembled  the  roar  of 
cannon  that  even  to  the  end  of  our  imprisonment 
I  would  start  up  at  night  and  require  some  little 
time  to  distinguish  the  effect  of  the  slow  wheels  on 
the  cobbles.  The  barracks  was  like  a  great  sound 
ing-board,  and  generally  sleep  was  out  of  the 
question  after  daybreak. 

After  early  breakfast  I  asked  the  officer  of  the 
day  to  request  permission  for  me  to  go  with  the 
attending  surgeon  to  see  my  men  in  their  quarters. 
The  request  was  granted,  with  the  understanding 
that  communication  would  be  allowed  between 
myself  and  the  men  only  when  specially  required. 
I  found  them  all  together  in  one  room  of  moderate 
size  only,  with  a  small  barred  opening  in  the  door, 
which  was  kept  closed,  locked,  and  bolted,  and  was 
guarded  by  a  sentry  on  the  outside.  There  was 

236 


PEISON   LIFE—  THE  SIEGE 


no  other  opening  for  light  or  air,  and  I  feared 
these  conditions  would  endanger  their  health  if 
there  should  be  any  considerable  delay  in  exchange, 
and  spoke  of  this  to  Mr.  Ramsden  when  he  called 


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next  day.  He  was  of  the  same  opinion,  and  placed 
the  matter  before  General  Linares,  but  without 
effect,  the  general  saying  that  there  was  absolutely 
no  other  place  to  put  the  men,  and  that  his  own 
soldiers  were  living  under  the  same  conditions. 

The  men  were  cheerful,  however,  saying  that  the 
food  was  even  better  than  at  the  Morro,  a  portion 
of  beef  having  been  added.  Murphy  had  suffered 
no  ill  effects  from  the  tramp,  and  none  had  caught 
cold  from  the  shower.  I  impressed  upon  them  the 
absolute  necessity  of  taking  every  precaution  for 
cleanliness,  and  directed  them  to  go  through  the 
setting-up  exercises,  a  kind  of  Delsarte,  twice  a 

237 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

day.  They  did  this  throughout,  much  to  the 
amusement  of  the  Spaniards,  to  whom  the  value 
of  such  exercise  seemed  never  to  have  occurred. 

Even  with  these  precautions,  I  was  not  much 
surprised  when,  two  days  later,  Phillips  was  taken 
ill  and  sent  for  me.  He  had  stomach  trouble  with 
low  fever,  and  I  wrote  a  letter  to  General  Linares 
urgently  requesting  that  amelioration  be  made— 
that  if  the  men  could  not  be  given  better  quarters, 
they  should  be  allowed  at  least  an  hour  each  day 
in  the  courtyard.  The  British  consul  supported 
the  request,  and  after  three  or  four  days'  delay  the 
order  was  issued  allowing  them  to  go  out  from 
twelve  to  one,  the  least  desirable  hour  of  the  day, 
with  a  vertical  sun ;  but  this  was  better  than  con 
tinuous  confinement.  It  was  interesting  to  see 
them,  as  I  had  occasion  to,  in  crossing  the  yard, 
with  a  cordon  of  sentries  all  about  on  duty,  yet 
admiring  spectators.  They  made  a  great  reputa 
tion  for  strength,  the  officers  commenting  on  it. 
But  what  seemed  most  interesting  was  the  boxing, 
taken  up  later.  The  British  consul  found  two 
boxing-gloves  in  town,  and  though  they  were  both 
for  the  left  hand,  the  men  managed  to  get  first-rate 
exercise  and  fun  from  them.  It  was  rather  amus 
ing  when  the  gloves  came.  I  sent  them  out  to  the 
officer  of  the  day  to  give  to  the  men.  He  did  not 
know  what  they  were,  and  sent  them  to  General 
Linares's  office,  where  the  British  consul  found 

238 


PBISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

them  two  or  three  days  later ;  and  it  was  only  after 
assurances  that  the  men  would  be  less  dangerous 
with  the  gloves  on  than  without  them  that  the 
general  reluctantly  consented  to  their  use.  The 
same  thing  occurred  in  connection  with  reading- 
matter.  The  consul,  who  was  forbidden  to  send 


ENTRANCE  TO  THE  CELL  OF  THE  CREW,  FROM  THE  COURTYARD. 

newspapers,  sent  in  a  good  supply  of  old  maga 
zines,  chiefly  the  "  Strand  Magazine"  and  the 
"  Century,"  and  a  number  of  novels,  and  I  sent 
out  a  portion  of  them  to  the  men.  Mr.  Eamsden 
found  them  several  days  later  on  the  desk  of  G-en- 

239 


11 


THE  SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

eral  Toral,  and  no  amount  of  persuasion  would 
bring  Mm  to  let  them  go  to  the  men.  "  You  can't 
tell  me  anything  about  such  matters,"  he  said.  "  I 
have  been  in  prison  and  have  tried  it  myself —mark 
ing  certain  words  here  and  there  which,  combined, 
made  up  a  message."  He  could  find  no  words 
marked,  but  that  did  not  make  any  difference ;  so 
the  consul  had  to  send  a  new  batch  direct  to  Gen 
eral  Linares,  who  then  sent  them  to  the  men. 

After  coming  from  the  men's  cell  that  first  morn 
ing,  I  proceeded  to  arrange  a  program  of  my  time 
so  as  to  realize  a  maximum  advantage  from  the 
situation.  My  thoughts  were  chiefly  occupied  with 
our  release,  the  enemy's  defenses,  and  our  health 
and  welfare.  A  methodical  routine  was  made  out 
that  continued  in  effect,  with  but  slight  modifica 
tion,  till  our  troops  landed,  when  the  observation 
of  active  operations  took  up  most  of  the  time. 

Regarding  it  as  very  desirable  that  we  should 
get  back  to  the  fleet  with  our  knowledge  of  the 
defenses  at  the  entrance,  I  set  to  work  upon  the 
question  of  escape.  The  system  of  sentries  made 
escape  look  hopeless  from  the  first.  There  was  a 
sentry  at  my  door  looking  at  me  all  the  time,  a 
second  at  the  entrance,  and  at  night-time  a  third 
at  my  window,  besides  the  sergeant  of  the  guard 
between  my  room  and  the  entrance,  and  the  officer 
of  the  day  just  across,  carrying  a  revolver  chained 
to  his  belt.  When  I  had  occasion  to  cross  the 

240 


MEMBERS    OF    THE    "  MERR1MAC  "    CREW    BOXING    IN    THE    COURTYARD 
OF    THE    CUARTEL. 


PRISON  LIFE-THE   SIEGE 

courtyard,  two  and  sometimes  three  sentries  fol 
lowed  behind.  All  the  guards  for  the  seventy-five 
or  eighty  prisoners  inside  were  available  against 
me.  Nothing  could  be  done  in  the  way  of  excava 
tion  or  filing  of  bars  under  the  eyes  of  the  special 
sentry.  My  plan  had  to  be  reduced  to  one  simply 
of  perpetual  vigilance,  holding  myself  ready  to 
seize  any  chance,  keeping  special  lookout  for  the 
possibility  of  reaching  a  horse  at  the  entrance, 
where  horses  were  frequently  hitched.  In  case  of 
a  successful  dash,  I  studied  out  my  subsequent 
movements,  whether  by  daylight  or  darkness, 
whether  I  should  be  afoot  or  mounted,  and  with 
reference  to  the  topography.  I  felt  that  if  I  could 
once  get  into  the  high  grass  in  the  valley  about 
three  hundred  yards  away,  I  could,  by  throwing 
pursuers  off  the  track,  finally  get  to  the  mountains, 
and  then,  by  making  a  long  detour,  seeking  guides 
among  the  Cubans,  could  make  my  way  to  the 
coast,  and  there  get  off  to  the  fleet  in  a  small  boat. 
I  studied  and  arranged  all  the  details  to  the  minut 
est  :  how  I  might  dash  upon  the  outer  sentry  with 
body  bent  forward,  seizing  a  chair  or  chairs  to 
shove  or  throw,  or  else  knocking  him  down  by  but 
ting  or  tripping;  then  dodge  the  first  shots  by 
dropping  behind  a  bank  and  a  mulberry-tree ;  crawl 
on  all  fours  across  a  small  open  space ;  rush  with 
body  bent  forward  to  the  fence  beyond ;  "  take  "  the 
fence  and  the  barbed  wire ;  and  then  follow  up  the 

243 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

valley  in  one  direction  and  afterward  turn  about. 
But  I  watched  for  a  chance  in  vain.  "When  our 
troops  finally  arrived  in  front  of  the  city,  and  I 
knew  how  valuable  to  them  would  be  my  knowledge 
of  the  defenses,  particularly  the  location  of  the 
artillery,  which  I  knew  so  well,  the  situation  grew 
desperate,  and  I  watched  for  even  the  faintest 
shadow  of  a  chance.  But  no;  the  Spanish  are 
passed  masters  in  guarding  prisoners,  and  I  was 
doomed  to  see  the  pieces  of  artillery  make  their 
locations  known  by  hurling  death  at  our  brave 
troops. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  hope  of  an  exchange 
also  began  to  decline.  At  my  repeated  request  the 
British  consul  brought  the  matter  up  with  General 
Linares  again  and  again;  but  each  time  the  gen 
eral  said  he  could  do  nothing— that  he  looked  for 
directions  from  Captain-General  Blanco  at  Havana, 
and  that  the  matter  would  probably  be  decided  in 
Madrid.  I  asked  the  consul  to  urge  the  matter  upon 
our  State  Department,  and  he  did  so  by  a  cipher 
cablegram  to  the  British  consul-general  at  Havana ; 
but  no  reply  came.  Finally,  on  the  15th  of  June, 
I  requested  him  to  send  another  cablegram  to  the 
State  Department,  again  urging  the  matter,  and 
requesting  in  my  name  information  as  to  what  was 
being  done  and  what  hope  we  might  have ;  but  not 
a  word  came  in  reply.  Eeason  argued  that  every 
thing  would  certainly  be  done,  that  the  authorities 

244 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

must  appreciate  that  I  had  valuable  information; 
but  the  human  feeling  would  arise,  "  Why  can  they 
not  tell  us  if  they  are  doing  anything  or  not?" 
Day  after  day  still  passed,  and  not  a  word  came. 
In  spite  of  reason,  a  bitterness  began  to  set  in— a 
kind  of  deep-seated  resentment:  "It  is  not  right 
for  our  countrymen  to  forsake  and  forget  us  in  this 
way."  Little  did  we  suspect  what  a  kindly  interest 
they  were  really  taking.  On  the  18th  the  British 
consul  came  to  say  that  Paris  despatches  stated 
that  the  Spanish  government  declined  to  exchange 
us  for  the  prisoners  taken  on  the  Argonauta.  This 
at  least  gave  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  efforts 
had  been  made,  though  it  portended  gloomily  for 
the  chances  of  success.  Finally,  on  the  23d,  the 
consul  said  that  Paris  despatches  stated  that  the 
Spanish  premier,  Sagasta,  had  refused  entirely  to 
make  the  exchange  on  account  of  the  information 
that  the  prisoners  must  have  gathered.  He  gave 
this  gloomy  news  in  a  call  in  the  afternoon ;  but 
that  morning  I  had  heard  firing  down  the  coast, 
and  I  knew  it  meant  the  debarkation  of  our  troops, 
and  felt  that  a  new  phase  of  the  situation  was  close 
at  hand. 

During  this  two  weeks'  period,  however,  the 
greater  part  of  my  observation  and  study  had  been 
given  to  the  enemy's  defenses.  I  would  jump  up 
at  night  to  see  any  piece  of  artillery  pass,  or  any 
squad  or  body  of  troops  making  noise  enough  to 

245 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

awaken  me,  and  during  the  daytime  not  an  officer 
or  a  private  passed  without  my  close  scrutiny.  It 
soon  appeared  to  me  that  in  the  city  there  were 
only  three  regiments  of  infantry,  one  of  cavalry, 
and  one  of  artillery,  with  a  large  force  of  engineers. 
The  colonel  of  artillery  at  the  Morro  had  told  me 
that  he  had  eight  hundred  artillerists  at  the  en 
trance,  and  the  outer  defenses  doubtless  occupied 
a  large  force;  but  it  became  clear  to  me  before 
very  long  that  there  could  be  scarcely  more  than 
forty-five  hundred  or  five  thousand  troops  of  all 
arms  actually  in  the  city. 

My  conclusions  while  at  the  Morro  concerning 
the  appearance  of  the  Spanish  soldiers  were  con 
firmed  by  the  larger  observation  from  the  barracks. 
What  impressed  me  most,  however,  was  the  lack  of 
vigor,  the  languid,  tired  look,  and  the  sickly  com 
plexion.  The  clothing,  too,  seemed  altogether 
inadequate  against  the  changes  of  temperature 
and  humidity.  On  board  ship  we  were  careful  to 
shift  into  blue  wool  at  sunset,  while  the  Spanish 
soldier  wore  the  same  thin  checked-cotton  stuff 
day  and  night,  without  underwear.  It  was,  there 
fore,  not  surprising  that  many  had  colds  and  throat 
and  lung  troubles.  About  daylight  there  was  a 
regular  barking  all  over  the  barracks,  and  the 
cough  of  the  consumptive  was  easily  distinguish 
able.  And  during  the  day,  if  a  group  stopped  for 
any  length  of  time,  I  could  perceive  that  a  large 

246 


PEISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

part  of  the  men  had  coughs.  The  endurance  of 
these  troops,  however,  was  something  to  marvel 
at.  When  the  city  was  finally  invested,  I  saw 
them  come  in  after  being  drenched  in  the  trenches 
all  night,  broken  down,  and  scarcely  able  to  get  to 
barracks,  and  at  once,  upon  an  alarm,  they  would 
go  out  again  without  food,  and  remain  on  duty  for 
hours  longer.  It  was  the  same  with  the  mounts. 
One  would  think  them  utterly  used  up— nothing 
but  ponies,  poor,  half  starved,  stiff,  many  of  them 
with  sores ;  yet  they  would  go  off  on  a  canter  for 
hours,  and  never  break  down.  When  flour  gave 
out,  and  bread  became  scarce,  and  the  corn  was 
reserved  for  meal,  the  horses  were  fed  on  the  long 
grass,  each  trooper  taking  two  bundles  behind  his 
saddle.  Yet  the  poor  animals  endured  to  the  end, 
after  more  than  three  weeks  of  such  severe  condi 
tions.  Probably  no  breed  but  the  mustang  can 
equal  the  endurance  of  the  Cuban  pony.  I  was 
early  struck  by  the  harsh  treatment  of  these  ponies 
by  their  riders,  but  soon  came  to  see  that  all  the 
lower  animals  received  the  same  treatment. 

There  were  yelps  all  through  the  day  from  dogs 
that  were  being  struck— dogs  that  belonged  to  the 
soldiers  as  well  as  those  that  came  to  find  food 
around  the  barracks.  One  of  the  soldiers,  a  barber, 
who  stayed  in  the  room  adjoining  mine  with  the 
sergeant  of  the  guard,  having  more  time,  went 
about  the  wretched  business  in  a  methodical  way. 

247 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

He  would  go  off  and  bring  back  big  stones  and 
clubs,  and  lie  in  ambush,  while  the  other  soldiers 
watched  his  brutal  sport  with  great  zest.  I  saw 
him  strike  a  dog  passing  harmlessly  on  the  other 
side  of  the  street.  The  poor  creature  was  knocked 
over,  but  managed  to  rise,  writhing  with  pain, 
utterly  dazed,  and  turning  round  and  round  in 
agony,  while  the  crowd  gathered  about,  laughing 
and  jeering,  and  putting  mocking  words  into  the 
animal's  mouth.  One  evening  about  dusk,  a  little 
black  dog  came  up  and  went  into  the  entrance, 
drawn  naturally  by  the  smell  of  the  kitchen.  The 
barber  stationed  himself  with  a  club  outside  behind 
the  wall,  and  as  the  dog  came  out  struck  it  with  full 
force  that  must  have  broken  its  spinal  column. 
Such  a  pathetic  cry  of  anguish  I  have  never  heard. 
The  dog  could  not  rise,  and  the  man  dragged  it  by 
the  hind  legs  across  the  street,  and  left  it,  moaning 
with  an  almost  human  appeal,  while  the  group  of 
loungers  applauded.  I  could  not  stand  it,  and  sent 
for  the  officer  of  the  day,  and  asked  him  if  he  knew 
the  dog,  and  told  him  to  send  a  soldier  to  shoot  it 
at  once.  It  was  difficult  to  control  my  feelings,  and 
the  utter  astonishment  on  the  officer's  face  surprised 
me.  He  was  respectful,  and  would  doubtless  have 
proceeded  to  have  the  dog  killed,  in  compliance  with 
my  request,  had  it  not  died  in  a  few  moments. 
"  Yes,"  said  he ;  "  there  are  a  number  of  dogs  about 
here  that  are  a  great  nuisance."  He  probably  won- 

248 


PRISON  LIFE— THE  SIEGE 

dered  how  a  man  could  have  any  feeling  about 
such  a  matter. 

The  observation  of  the  troops  soon  showed  that, 
though  the  men  and  animals  were  run  down  and 
were  in  more  or  less  wretched  condition,  the  arms 
and  military  implements  were  of  the  best  kind.  I 
estimated  that  at  least  two  thirds  of  the  infantry 
were  armed  with  the  Mauser,  with  sword-bayonet, 
the  remainder,  to  my  great  surprise,  carrying  the 
Eemington,  with  specially  long,  keen  bayonets. 
The  moment  firing  began  I  saw  that  they  had 
smokeless  powder  and  apparently  plenty  of  am 
munition.  "What  most  attracted  my  attention, 
however,  was  the  activity  of  the  engineer  force 
and  the  artillery.  They  must  have  known  very 
early  of  our  preparations  for  invasion,  and  seemed 
to  expect  that  we  would  select  the  northeastern 
approaches,  for  long  before  our  troops  arrived  they 
entered  upon  an  extended  system  of  works  along 
the  whole  northeast  front.  Day  after  day  the 
detachments  with  intrenching  implements  would 
pass  out  by  my  window  early  in  the  morning,  re 
turning  late  in  the  afternoon ;  and  I  saw  trenches, 
rifle-pits,  and  artillery-pits  growing  under  my  eyes, 
this  inner  line  of  defenses  passing  not  more  than 
two  hundred  yards  from  the  barracks.  The  loca 
tions  were  carefully  chosen,  and  I  noted  with 
intense  feeling  the  clever  way  in  which  earth, 
brush,  and  grass  were  utilized,  and  felt  that  there 

249 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERBIMAC" 

would  be  an  awful  sacrifice  of  life  if  we  should 
attempt  to  take  the  positions  by  assault. 

The  observation  of  these  military  features  added 
intensity  to  my  study  of  plans  by  which  the  fleet 
might  be  destroyed  and  the  city  taken  from  the 
water  side.  The  working  hours,  so  to  speak,  of 
each  day  were  given  to  this  topic,  and  the  plans 
were  elaborated  in  detail.  They  consisted  essen 
tially  in  sweeping  the  channel  ahead  of  the  fleet  by 
the  use  of  small  craft  and  auxiliaries.  The  study 
of  the  auxiliaries  and  their  use  brought  out  many 
features  of  inadaptability  in  the  craft  we  had  at 
hand,  and  emphasized  the  need  of  special  craft, 
which  should  require  only  a  short  time  in  construc 
tion.  The  type  of  craft  finally  evolved  was  virtu 
ally  the  "  unsinkable "  spoken  of  at  the  beginning 
of  this  narrative  in  connection  with  a  plan  sug 
gested  for  clearing  Havana  harbor  for  the  entrance 
of  the  fleet— a  species  of  vessel  armed  with  inde 
structible  submerged  spar-torpedoes. 

Though  the  conditions  of  health  in  the  case  of  my 
men  were  not  satisfactory,  it  seemed  that  nothing 
further  could  be  done.  It  was  with  uneasiness, 
therefore,  that  I  received  report,  on  the  26th,  that 
Montague  was  down  with  fever ;  and  being  allowed 
to  visit  the  cell,  I  found  his  temperature  high,  while 
all  the  other  men  had  grown  pale,  and  I  saw  plainly 
that  there  was  a  general  condition  of  low  and 
ebbing  vitality.  When  Mr.  Ramsden  called  that 

250 


PEISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

day,  we  conferred  on  the  matter,  and  he  again  made 
application  for  changes,  which  General  Linares 
again  declined.  However,  the  surgeon  consented 
to  take  Montague  up  on  the  next  floor,  and  sent  me 
reports  three  times  a  day  as  to  his  temperature; 
but  when,  on  the  28th,  Phillips  too  was  taken  down 
with  fever,  I  became  alarmed.  The  general's  state 
ment  that  no  other  place  was  available  left  only  one 
other  course  practicable.  I  sent  for  Mr.  Eamsden, 
and  wrote  an  official  request  to  General  Linares 
that  the  men  should  be  paroled,  and  carried  out, 
under  flag  of  truce,  to  the  hospital-ship  of  our  fleet, 
and  placed  aboard,  without  communication  with 
any  one  but  the  surgeons  and  nurses,  assuring  him 
that  the  admiral  would  guarantee  the  parole.  The 
consul  was  requested  to  inform  our  government  of 
the  condition  of  the  men,  and  to  request  in  my  name 
that  effort  be  made  to  have  the  parole  measures 
carried  out,  if  possible.  The  consul  went  to  the 
general,  who  declined  to  consider  the  measure. 
The  consul  then  told  him  in  plain  words  that  some 
thing  had  to  be  done.  The  final  result  was  that 
two  days  later  the  crew  were  transferred  to  the 
regular  hospital  and  placed  in  one  of  the  best  wards. 
I  was  not  allowed  to  visit  them,  but  the  consul  re 
ported  that  the  sanitary  conditions  were  excellent, 
and  assured  me  that  the  men  were  in  no  wise  ex 
posed  to  contagion  or  infection.  Sure  enough,  they 
all  began  to  improve.  Montague  and  Phillips  were 

251 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKIMAC" 

soon  well,  and  no  one  else  was  taken  down.  The 
main  difficulty  was  an  impairment  of  the  digestion, 
due  to  want  of  exercise,  lack  of  variety  in  food,  and 
bad  cooking.  It  was  several  months  after  our  ex 
change  before  some  of  the  men  were  entirely  well. 

My  own  conditions  for  air,  light,  and  exercise 
were  good  from  the  beginning.  I  was  not  allowed 
to  exercise  outside,  but  the  room  was  large,  and  I 
took  exercise  with  the  regularity  of  meals — going 
through  setting-up  exercises,  fencing,  broadsword, 
and  boxing,  using  the  mosquito-bar  for  a  pliable 
antagonist,  a  penholder  for  a  small  sword,  and  a 
broom-handle  for  a  broadsword.  The  chairs  an 
swered  for  Indian  clubs,  and  I  would  close  with 
several  minutes'  double-time,  remaining  in  place, 
and  a  rapid  walk  up  and  down  the  room.  Mr. 
Kamsden  had  been  able  to  get  me  a  bath-tub,  and 
a  cold  douche  twice  a  day,  with  this  exercise,  kept 
my  system  in  fine  tone.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
conditions  were  better  than  those  on  board  ship, 
and  I  had  more  muscle  and  was  in  better  form 
when  I  came  out  than  when  I  went  in ;  so  that,  on 
the  day  of  our  exchange,  the  ride  from  Santiago  to 
Siboney,  most  of  the  way  at  a  brisk  trot,  did  not 
stiffen  a  muscle. 

I  never  had  disrespect  from  a  Spanish  soldier. 
On  the  contrary,  it  struck  me  how  very  considerate 
they  were  in  carrying  out  their  duty.  For  instance, 
one  night  I  had  risen  to  look  out  of  the  window  to 

252 


PRISON  LIFE -THE  SIEGE 

see  a  piece  of  artillery  pass,  and  apparently  the 
sentry  was  not  sure  that  I  had  gone  back  to  bed. 
He  reported  to  the  officer  of  the  day,  and  soon  a 
soldier  came  in  with  a  candle  and  a  cup  of  coffee, 
saying  that  the  officer  of  the  day  sent  the  coffee, 
with  his  compliments ;  having  had  some  made  for 
himself,  and  finding  it  specially  good,  he  thought 
perhaps  it  might  not  go  amiss  with  me,  though 
somewhat  late.  I  sat  up  and  took  a  good  swallow, 
and  asked  the  bearer  to  present  my  compliments  to 
the  officer  of  the  day  and  express  my  best  thanks 
and  my  appreciation  of  his  thoughtfulness. 

Even  if  I  had  not  been  engrossed  by  observation 
and  study  of  the  situation,  made  keen  by  both  the 
novelty  of  the  Spanish  soldiers  and  Spanish  meth 
ods,  and  the  ever-present  thought  of  the  impending 
struggle,  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  time  could 
have  become  oppressive  with  such  a  wealth  of  nature 
as  spread  out  before  my  window.  Tropical  vegeta 
tion  and  long  grass,  spotted  with  trees,  the  stately 
palm  in  clumps  being  most  conspicuous,  stretched 
down  the  slope  from  the  barracks,  and  up  the  slope 
across  the  meadow  to  an  encircling  ridge,  that  grew 
steep  and  wooded  to  the  north  and  south  ends— a 
ridge  that  I  was  to  see  wrenched  from  the  enemy 
by  the  sheer  individual  valor  of  our  troops.  Be 
yond  this  ridge  the  tropical  growth  continued,  but 
could  be  seen  over  the  ridge  only  here  and  there  till 
it  reached  the  base  of  the  mountains.  And  such 

253 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

mountains!  rugged  and  furrowed  as  by  the  cen 
turies,  partly  wooded,  but  with  vast  areas  that 
seemed  like  lawn,  which  I  found  to  be  the  same 
high  growth  of  grass.  The  sky-lines  of  the  tops 
were  broken  with  peaks  that  made  shapes  suggest 
ing  huge  creatures,  one  a  crouching  lion,  as  at 
Gibraltar,  another  a  great  alligator.  One  of  the 
large  palm-trees  had  its  fans  arching  up  on  two 
sides,  making  the  perfect  form  of  an  eagle  alighting. 

Nowhere  have  I  ever  seen  a  landscape  so  compan 
ionable.  It  was  as  much  so  as  the  sea,  and  had  as 
many  moods,  varying  throughout  the  day  under  the 
changing  conditions  of  light,  sky,  and  clouds:  in 
the  morning  bright  and  animated  as  for  work;  as 
the  afternoon  advanced,  growing  thoughtful,  listen 
ing,  gentle,  poetic;  at  nightfall  reserved,  mystic, 
even  weird.  The  sounds,  too,  seemed  to  have  the 
same  moods,  particularly  at  night,  when  unknown 
insects  and  swamp  animals  were  to  be  heard. 

What  delighted  me  most,  however,  were  the  storm 
effects,  which  came  almost  every  day,  usually  in 
the  late  afternoon,  but  not  infrequently  at  night, 
and  sometimes  in  the  morning.  Then  the  moun 
tains  were  at  their  best.  They  seemed  to  generate 
the  storms,  or,  if  formed  elsewhere,  they  seemed  to 
draw  them.  And  what  manifestations  of  power ! 
What  a  tragic  combination  of  the  great  storm  back 
ground,  steady  black,  muttering  and  menacing 
beyond  the  mountains,  and  the  bright,  mellow 

254 


PEISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

stretches  of  light  breaking  through  the  turmoil  of 
the  clouds  and  shifting  on  the  mountain-sides! 
The  whole  environment  was  so  interesting  that, 
though  confined  in  the  same  room  for  thirty  days, 
I  scarcely  felt  the  need  for  books.  After  my  study 
of  the  plans  of  attack  was  well  along,  I  took  up  a 
novel,  and  finally  finished  it,  more  because  of  hav 
ing  begun  it ;  but  I  did  not  care  to  take  up  another. 
It  was  more  satisfactory  to  give  an  hour  or  two 
of  the  uninteresting  part  of  the  day,  just  after 
luncheon,  to  the  magazines,  and  I  probably  finished 
the  best  parts  of  a  dozen— all  of  the  numbers  of  the 
"  Century,"  and  most  of  the  numbers  of  the  "  Strand," 
and  several  issues  of  the  "  Ilustracion  Artistica  "  of 
Barcelona. 

Among  the  brightest  features  of  the  imprison 
ment,  however,  were  the  visits  of  the  British  consul, 
which  occurred  about  every  three  days.  If  the 
prisoners  had  been  his  own  countrymen,  even  his 
own  children,  Mr.  Ramsden  could  not  have  been 
more  attentive  to  their  wants,  more  thoughtful  in 
a  hundred  delicate  ways.  Finding  we  needed  fruit, 
he  had  the  market  searched,  and  kept  a  lookout  to 
get  us  bananas  and  pineapples,  though  these  had 
been  almost  entirely  cut  off.  When  the  bread  gave 
out,  he  shared  with  us  the  crackers  he  had  saved 
for  his  own  family ;  and  long  after  the  bakeries  were 
closed  and  no  flour  could  be  had,  his  own  cook  made 
us  bread  from  the  small  quantity  of  his  flour  that 

255 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKBIMAC" 

still  held  out,  though  he  could  not  tell  how  much 
longer  the  severe  conditions  would  continue.  One 
day,  when  he  had  been  inquiring  about  my  fare,  and 
I  was  telling  him  what  we  ate  aboard  ship,  the 
major  came  in.1  Mr.  Eamsden  made  a  reference  to 
my  having  been  accustomed  to  eggs,  and  asked  if 
they  could  not  allow  me  some  for  breakfast.  "  Oh, 
certainly,"  said  the  major;  "I  will  attend  to  it  to 
day."  Accordingly,  next  morning  the  attendant 
brought  two  eggs;  for  luncheon  he  brought  two 
more,  and  for  dinner  two.  Six  a  day,  in  addition 
to  the  regular  ration,  at  a  time  when  eggs  were 
twelve  and  a  half  cents  apiece !  This  continued 
several  days,  when,  as  I  understand,  the  hospital 
steward  made  an  official  report  that  the  American 
officer  was  eating  up  all  the  eggs,  that  the  supply 
was  being  cut  off,  and  that  soon  there  would  not  be 
enough  for  the  sick.  I  thereupon  told  the  attendant 
to  inform  the  cook  that  I  had  had  enough  eggs  for 
the  present. 

Part  of  Mr.  Ramsden's  visit  was  always  spent  with 
the  men.  He  looked  to  all  their  wants— kept  them 
supplied  with  coffee,  sugar,  and  tobacco,  sent  them 
two  packs  of  cards,  and  contributed  in  other  ways 
to  their  health  and  comfort.  We  all  owe  him  an 
immeasurable  debt  of  gratitude.  Upon  being  re 
leased,  I  made  the  matter  the  subject  of  an  official 

1  This  was  the  major  who  had    ernor  not  of  the  barracks,  but,  I 
met  me  upon  our  arrival,  the  gov-    think,  of  the  hospital. 

256 


THE    LATE    FREDERICK    W.    RAMSDEN,    BRITISH    CONSUL 
AT    SANTIAGO. 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

letter  to  the  admiral,  to  be  transmitted  to  the  Navy 
and  State  departments,  and  conferred  with  the  chief 
of  staff,  Captain  Chad  wick,  as  to  making  some  recog 
nition  of  these  courtesies.  It  was  arranged  that 
after  the  first  opening  of  the  channel  I  should  take 
a  steam-launch  and  get  a  load  of  the  best  things 
from  the  supply-ship,  such  as  fresh  beef  and  vege 
tables,  canned  asparagus,  etc.,  and  take  them  in  to 
Mr.  Eamsden  at  Santiago,  and  invite  him  and  his 
family  off  to  dinner  on  the  New  York,  along  with 
the  British  naval  and  military  attaches.  Alas !  it 
was  not  to  be.  When  the  city  fell,  the  consul  was 
in  the  midst  of  his  last  great  sacrifice,  ministering 
to  the  wants  of  the  wretched  at  El  Caney.  The  day 
the  channel  was  cleared,  I  was  ordered  North  in  con 
nection  with  the  efforts  to  save  the  Spanish  wrecks, 
and  was  destined  never  to  see  him  again.  It  was 
one  of  the  bright  expectations  of  going  back  to 
be  able  to  meet  Mr.  Eamsden  and  let  him  know  the 
depth  of  our  gratitude.  But  while  I  was  still  in  the 
North  news  came  of  his  death.  His  unceasing  work 
week  after  week,  night  and  day,  under  the  severest 
conditions,  was  more  than  human  strength  could 
stand.  He  remained  at  his  post  of  duty,  refusing 
even  the  strongest  appeals  of  his  family,  till  the 
work  was  done.  It  was  then  too  late ;  his  strength 
was  exhausted.  He  had  given  his  very  life  in  the 
service  of  others.  With  the  sadness  of  personal 
bereavement,  I  hold  sacred  among  my  prison  experi- 
12  259 


THE   SINKING  OF   THE   "MEEKIMAC" 

ences  the  privilege  of  having  known  this  noble  and 
splendid  character. 

The  operations  of  the  army  and  navy  were,  of 
course,  of  the  keenest  interest.  I  noted  the  fire  of 
every  gun  from  the  fleet,  and  as  far  as  practicable 
tried  to  judge  of  its  caliber,  location,  and  objective. 
With  a  small  clock  which  had  come  in  my  box  from 
the  New  York  I  noted  the  very  minute  of  the  open 
ing  gun.  The  various  firings  up  to  the  23d  were 
evidently  only  bombardments  of  the  entrance,  none 
of  them  exceeding  an  hour,  and  all  less  animated 
than  the  three-hour  bombardment  of  the  6th  ob 
served  from  the  Morro.  But  on  the  22d  the  firing 
to  the  southeast,  opening  at  9  A.  M.,  convinced  me, 
after  a  short  while,  that  troops  were  being  landed 
under  cover  of  the  fleet.  Moreover,  I  observed 
couriers  to  and  from  the  eastward  during  the  day, 
and  on  the  24th  I  was  not  surprised  to  hear  mus 
ketry-firing,  more  or  less  obstinate,  far  away  to  the 
southeastward.  There  could  no  longer  be  any 
doubt:  we  were  invading  with  an  army,  and  our 
advance-guard  had  made  contact  with  the  enemy. 
I  decided  that  the  firing,  however,  came  from  our 
cavalry,  not  thinking  that  the  infantry  could  have 
advanced  so  quickly,  and  I  formed  a  picture  of  our 
superb  horsemen,  such  as  I  had  seen  drilling  at 
Fort  Myer,  near  Washington,  and  our  cow-boy 
riders  engaging  the  Spanish  troops.  The  firing  did 
not  seem  to  recede  as  it  closed,  and  I  was  sure, 

260 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

though  the  atmosphere  was  not  very  clear,  that  the 
Spanish  flag  on  a  building  where  the  firing  had 
taken  place  had  been  replaced  by  the  Stars  and 
Stripes.  My  heart  leaped  with  exultation,  though 
I  knew  that  pain  and  death  must  be  there.  It  was 
the  initial  action  at  Sevilla. 

I  would  have  given  a  great  deal  for  a  sight  of  the 
special  edition  of  the  local  papers  which  a  newsboy 
brought  in  that  afternoon.  It  made  the  soldiers 
about  the  entrance  look  serious.  But  I  knew  the 
story  next  day  when  a  regiment  of  infantry  came 
slowly  down  the  road  from  Sevilla,  and  I  saw  a 
brigadier  shake  his  head  as  he  met  an  officer  from 
the  city.  On  that  day  there  was  artillery-firing  to 
the  southeast,  closer  than  on  the  day  of  the  landing. 
I  could  not  make  it  out,  but  learned  afterward  that 
it  was  the  shelling  of  Aguadores,  accompanied  by 
the  retreat  of  the  Spaniards  and  the  partial  blowing 
up  of  the  railroad-bridge.  If  there  had  been  any 
doubt  about  Sevilla  the  day  before,  it  was  removed 
that  night  when  I  saw  our  camp-fires  spreading  out, 
some  of  them  nearer  than  the  first  flag. 

For  several  days  no  further  action  took  place,  but 
our  camp-fires  continued  to  spread  out  to  the  foot 
of  the  mountains,  and  I  knew  that  the  army  was 
coming  up.  The  Spanish  troops,  on  their  part, 
were  working  like  beavers  on  their  intrenchments, 
and  artillery  passed  which  I  concluded  was  being 
transferred  from  the  entrance  and  from  defenses  in 

261 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

other  directions.  "What  gave  me  most  concern  was 
a  pack-train  of  big  mules  with  machine-guns.  My 
intense  anxiety  to  escape  with  the  information  I 
had  made  me  almost  desperate.  The  Spaniards 
seemed  to  know  this,  and  watched  me  like  a  hawk. 
Before  I  would  start  to  cross  the  courtyard,  the 
officer  of  the  day  would  call  up  two  or  three  extra 
sentries.  It  was  on  the  day  dl  the  landing  that 
Mr.  Ramsden  had  brought  me  news  of  the  refusal 
to  exchange,  and  then  I  knew  that  unless  a  chance 
to  escape  should  occur  we  should  have  simply  to 
await  developments  in  the  attack  on  the  city. 

I  looked  for  this  attack  to  be  from  artillery,  and 
planned,  in  the  case  of  bombardment,  to  place  my 
tables  in  front  of  the  window,  very  much  as  at 
Morro,  and  to  demand  that  my  men  be  allowed  to 
go  into  the  courtyard  to  be  clear  of  falling  walls  or 
roofs.  When  I  went  in  to  see  Montague,  I  took  the 
opportunity  of  informing  the  men  of  the  situation 
while  still  appearing  only  to  be  inquiring  about 
their  health,  in  this  fashion :  "  You  still  have  some 
fever,  Montague,  and  they  have  refused  to  exchange 
us,  lads."  The  two  clauses  being  spoken  without 
pause,  the  officer  suspected  nothing.  "None  of 
you  others  have  any,  but  our  troops  have  landed." 
"  Does  your  coffee  keep  well  in  that  box,  and  if 
shells  strike  the  building  look  out  for  the  walls  and 
for  fire  from  above  ? "  "  Do  you  get  enough  air  from 
the  door  here,  and  I  shall  ask  for  you  to  be  allowed 

262 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

to  go  into  the  courtyard?"  "Let  me  see  your 
tongue,  Montague.  It  is  not  so  bad,  and  in  the 
courtyard  look  out  for  brick  and  debris ;  take  shel 
ter  by  the  stone  steps."  The  men  understood  per 
fectly,  and  nodded  their  heads  or  answered  without 
any  sign  of  surprise  and  without  a  question. 

I  was  rather  surprised  later  to  see  the  Red  Cross 
flag  hoisted  on  the  barracks,  one  flag  at  each  corner 
and  one  over  the  portal.  "  Do  they  imagine,"  I 
thought,  "  with  troops  going  back  arid  forth  from 
the  entrance,  and  the  nature  of  the  building  evi 
dent,  that  the  flag  is  going  to  protect  it  from  our 
fire!"  I  was  interested  to  see  what  the  abuse  of 
the  flag  would  amount  to,  and  after  our  exchange  I 
found  that  the  guns  of  our  artillery  had  been  trained 
on  the  barracks  from  the  beginning  of  the  invest 
ment,  while  the  flag  was  hoisted  on  almost  every 
building  of  importance  in  the  city.  The  barracks 
was  close  to  the  line  of  artillery-pits—was,  indeed, 
the  nearest  structure,  and  would  have  been  the 
first  building  to  crumble.  Our  artillerists  had 
seen  the  abuse,  and  had  made  out  the  hospital 
and  other  places  to  be  spared,  independent  of  the 
flag.  There  was  a  sense  of  relief  in  the  knowledge 
that  the  men  were  safe  in  the  hospital  before  the 
fighting  began. 

Preparations  continued,  apparently,  on  both  sides 
until  June  30,  when  a  balloon  ascended  from  our 
lines  and  remained  high  up  for  reconnaissance.  I 

263 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

took  this  as  indicating  that  active  work  was  close 
at  hand.  Escape  with  information  had  continued 
impossible,  and  I  waited  with  anxious  mind,  never 
doubting  for  an  instant  as  to  the  issue,  but  fearing1 
for  our  losses. 

Sharp  at  half -past  six  next  morning  our  artillery 
opened.  I  jumped  to  the  window,  and  scarcely  left 
it  again  all  day,  and  being  anxious  to  follow  accu 
rately  every  movement,  took  a  pencil  to  jot  down 
items.  Mr.  Eamsden  had  sent  a  note-book  and 
stationery,  but  the  authorities  had  declined  to  let 
them  be  delivered,  fearing  that  they  might  be  used 
to  communicate  with  the  Cubans.  Whenever  I 
wished  to  write  a  letter  to  the  general  or  to  the 
consul,  an  orderly  would  bring  in  one  envelop  and 
one  sheet  of  paper,  and  that  envelop  and  that  sheet 
of  paper  had  to  go  out  or  be  accounted  for.  Paper 
was  therefore  lacking,  as  in  the  daily  items  I  had 
used  up  the  spare  part  of  a  sheet  left  in  the  Morro 
by  the  judge.  Fortunately,  I  had  put  the  draft  of 
my  reply  to  his  questions  into  my  pocket,  and  the 
back  of  the  page  was  blank.  On  this  blank  side  I 
jotted  items  of  the  battle,  keeping  the  paper  folded 
twice,  in  front  of  my  body,  and  using  a  very  short 
lead-pencil,  to  escape  the  notice  of  the  sentry,  who 
kept  his  eye  on  every  movement,  and  doubtless 
wondered  why  I  would  turn  so  often  to  look  at  the 
clock.  The  items  are  scarcely  more  than  words, 
and  though  making  pictures  to  my  own  mind,  they 

264 


PRISON  LIFE— THE  SIEGE 

can  hardly  be  intelligible  to  others,  but  as  far  as 
they  are  intelligible  they  may  be  taken  as  accurate. 

July  1,  6  :  30.  Heavy  artillery  opened  onfuerte  eastward 
and  northward.  Contains  3  pieces.  Infantry  fire  soon 
afterward  in  same  direction.  Brisk  for  hour  or  two. 
Balloon  reconnaissances. 

About  9,  General  Toral  and  officers,  apparently  all  in 
fantry  officers,  meet  at  Cuartel  Reina  Mercedes.  Draw 
over  to  houses  to  southeast,  in  rear. 

Musketry  at  distance  to  southward  and  eastward  opened 
about  9 : 45.  Became  general.  Approaching.  Enemy's 
artillery  on  flank  opened.  Enemy  retreating.  Advance 
upon  his  artillery.  Either  captured  or  retired  about  noon. 
Pause  about  11  o'clock. 

About  1,  enemy  rallied.  Two  small  cavalry  charges. 
First  returned  at  once ;  second  never  returned. 

About  2,  fire  with  machine-guns  to  eastward  began. 
Continued  rest  of  day.  Seem  to  engage  men  in  bunch  of 
palms. 

Fire  to  northward  and  eastward  again  about  2  p.  M.  ;  off 
and  on  rest  of  day.  Supported  by  heavy  artillery  fire. 

Flank  movement  about  2.  Heavy.  Continued  rest  of 
day  till  about  6 : 30.  Machine-guns  firing.  Pause  about 
4 :  40.  Started  again  about  5 : 15.  Heavy— close  at  outer 
fork  of  road.  Machine-gun  fire  and  artillery.  Ended  at 
dark. 

The  artillery  fire  that  began  the  engagement  came 
from  a  hillock  out  toward  the  base  of  the  mountains. 
I  jumped  to  observe  the  fall  of  the  first  shell,  which, 
to  my  surprise,  exploded  far  to  the  northeast,  near 

265 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

a  blockhouse  dominating  the  village  of  El  Caney. 
It  was  followed  by  another  shot,  then  another,  each 
one  nearer,  till  one  struck  the  blockhouse  square. 
It  was  excellent  target  practice.  I  estimated  the 
pieces  to  be  about  three  miles  from  the  barracks, 
and  the  range  about  a  mile  and  a  half.  It  was  a 
fine  sight  to  see  the  billows  of  smoke  dart  out  of  the 
hillock,  and  then,  after  an  expected  pause  of  five  or 
six  seconds,  see  the  puff-balls  of  gas  at  the  block 
house;  then  came  another  pause  of  ten  or  twelve 
seconds,  then  the  peal,  followed  shortly  by  a  sharp, 
strong  echo  from  the  mountains  behind,  then  an 
other  echo  from  the  mountain  behind  El  Caney,  and 
then  a  series  of  echoes  from  mountains  at  greater 
distances.  It  was  not  long  after  the  artillery  opened 
that  I  heard  the  distant  crack  of  a  rifle,  then  another, 
then  several  in  rapid  succession,  all  in  the  direction 
of  the  village.  I  then  knew  that  the  artillery  fire 
was  preparatory  to  an  advance  of  infantry.  Some 
shells  seemed  to  be  directed  farther  down  the  slope, 
apparently  ahead  of  the  infantry,  though  the  block 
house  still  received  attention.  The  musketry  fire 
became  general  and  drew  toward  the  village.  It 
continued  unremittingly  till  it  all  came  from  the 
village,  when  it  slackened.  It  had  been  a  hotly 
contested  advance,  but  I  felt  that  the  village  was 
ours  and  the  north  flank  was  secure,  though  firing 
continued  off  and  on  during  most  of  the  day  and 
was  very  hot  again  in  the  afternoon.  I  felt  all  the 

266 


I 


PEISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

while,  however,  that  the  movement  on  the  village 
would  be  only  a  part  of  the  advance,  expecting  the 
heaviest  fighting  to  take  place  out  to  the  east  and 
southeast,  in  the  direction  of  the  road  that  led  to 
ward  the  building  on  which  our  flag  had  supplanted 
the  Spanish  flag,  where  the  camp-fires  showed  our 
troops  to  be  in  force. 

I  was  not  surprised,  therefore,  when  the  balloon 
rose  up  in  that  direction,  even  before  the  firing  died 
out  at  El  Caney.  Then,  when  there  was  a  confer 
ence  of  officers— a  general  whom  I  took  to  be  Toral, 
and  twenty  or  thirty  others— at  the  barracks  in 
front  of  my  window,  and  troops  began  to  pour  out 
from  the  city  along  the  southeast  road,  I  was  cer 
tain  that  a  general  engagement  was  impending. 
The  officers  seemed  to  have  misgivings  as  to  the 
balloon,  and  drew  over  to  some  buildings  about  a 
hundred  yards  away,  where  they  were  screened 
from  its  view.  The  balloon  came  lower  and  began 
to  change  position.  Musketry  fire  started  up  in  its 
direction,  and  soon  became  general,  and  the  artillery 
began  to  open.  Before  long  I  was  convinced  that 
the  firing  was  coming  closer.  Soon  there  was  no 
doubt  of  it.  Our  troops  continued  to  advance  until 
finally  the  fire  became  quicker  and  more  concen 
trated,  and  I  knew  they  were  charging.  Then  came 
a  cloud  of  smoke  and  the  crash  and  explosion  of 
shrapnel,  followed  by  a  sudden  pause.  I  knew 
what  the  pause  meant.  Our  men,  who  probably 

271 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

had  never  been  under  fire  before,  had  felt  the  shock 
and  for  the  moment  forgot  their  firing.  But  almost 
instantly  it  started  up  again,  faster  than  ever. 
Again  the  artillery  crashed.  Again  there  was  a 
pause,  and  then  once  more  the  fire  started  up  with 
greater  fury  than  before.  Then  the  enemy  began 
a  series  of  volleys  with  their  magazine-rifles,  while 
their  artillery  crashed  again,  now  from  the  flank  as 
well  as  from  the  front,  and  a  fearful  machine-gun 
fire  set  in  from  a  house  on  the  flank.  Our  artil 
lery  seemed  not  to  be  in  force.  My  heart  sank  as  I 
thought  of  the  unequal  conflict  with  an  enemy 
intrenched  and  supported  by  artillery.  The  vic 
tory  seemed  beyond  human  power.  But  still  they 
came.  Volley  followed  volley.  The  machine-guns 
swept  the  air  with  their  keen  swish.  The  artillery 
belched.  A  longer  pause  ensued.  I  felt  the  mo 
ment  to  be  supreme.  Had  we  fallen  back!  The 
question  was  soon  answered  by  fire  hotter  than  ever. 
It  was  the  final  charge.  The  fire  slackened;  the 
artillery  ceased.  The  impossible  had  been  done! 
As  sure  as  fate  our  unsupported  infantry  had  taken 
the  works,  against  intrenched  infantry  with  rnaga- 
zine-rifles,  supported  by  machine-guns  and  artillery. 
Though  the  firing  had  been  hottest  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  road,  it  had  extended  more  or  less  along 
the  front  to  the  eastward,  and  I  knew  when  night 
set  in  and  stillness  came  that  we  had  advanced  all 
along  the  line ;  and  though  no  camp-fires  told  of  our ' 

272 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

positions,  I  felt  that  we  held  the  ridge  encircling  the 
city,  and  were  working  with  all  the  energy  left  from 
an  all-day  fight  to  strengthen  our  new  positions, 
while  we  would  be  ready  to  advance  from  the  north 
flank.  The  matter  of  artillery  had  puzzled  and 
disappointed  me,  as  I  had  expected  it  to  do  the  bulk 
of  the  fighting,  believing  that  in  the  preceding  days 
it  was  continually  coming  up.  That  night  I  thought 
surely  it  would  be  up  before  daybreak,  and  from 
the  commanding  ridge  would  shell  the  inner  works 
in  the  morning.  The  inner  works  had  been  de 
veloped  by  our  fire  during  the  day  only  on  the 
southeast;  on  the  east  and  northeast  they  were 
still  unrevealed ;  and  I  looked  forward  to  the  open 
ing  of  an  artillery  duel  at  daybreak  between  our 
artillery  on  the  ridge  and  the  artillery-pits  circling 
the  barracks.  To  my  disappointment,  the  fighting 
started  up  with  musketry.  Sure  enough,  we  had 
intrenched  ourselves  along  the  ridge;  but  appa 
rently  no  new  artillery  had  come  up. 

Following  are  my  notes  of  the  second  day's 
fighting: 

July  2,  Saturday.  Opened  fire  5  A.M.  Inner  works. 
Brisk  till  6.  Pause,  and  then  again— seem  to  fall  back. 
General  musketry  and  artillery  both  sides;  continues. 
Turns  to  flank  toward  7.  Continues  hot  in  flank— Span 
ish  artillery  opening  on  hillside  on  flank. 

7 : 45,  pause.  8  : 10,  again  in  flank.  Pause,  8  : 15.  8  : 30, 
again  in  flank  in  volleys  of  machine-guns.  Artillery  on 

273 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

hillside.  Troops  assembling  near  fuerte— disperse.  Des 
ultory  on  flank.  General  pause.  Major  and  boy  orderly. 
Vessels'  heavy  guns  at  6  A.  M.  till  about  8  A.  M.  Lost  calf. 
Captain  and  lieutenant,  stragglers.  Volleys  about  9  : 20 
in  flank  road.  Machine-guns.  Few  shots  artillery  pre 
vious.  Desultory.  Seem  to  desist  from  heat.  9  : 45,  up 
again.  Desultory  till  10  : 25.  Few  shots,  Spanish  artillery. 

11 : 30,  terrific  onslaught  in  flank  road— lasted  5  or  6 
minutes.  Then  pause.  Mocking-bird.  Desultory.  Scat 
tering.  Refugees.  12 : 15,  another— lasted  about  2  or  3 
minutes.  12 : 30,  general  firing  in  road  out  to  eastward— 
not  last  long.  12  : 50,  another— hot,  general.  Lasted  20 
minutes— then  out  to  eastward  in  palms.  Pause  general 
after  1 : 35.  Heat.  Buzzards.  Desultory  firing  at  inter 
vals.  2  : 40,  more  or  less  general— farther  out  to  south 
eastward  and  to  eastward.  Desultory  in  flank  ditch  till 
2 : 45.  Then  Spanish  artillery  opened  on  southeast  and 
caused  pause,  2  : 50.  Nature's  artillery.  Desultory  firing, 
flank  road.  3  :15,  heavy  thunder-shower.  Driving  wind 
from  northward,  and  Spanish  artillery.  3  : 30,  firing  to 
eastward.  3  : 40,  in  heavy  rain,  firing  in  flank  road  and  to 
eastward  and  more  or  less  general.  Then  increased. 
Raining  moderately.  3  : 45,  terrific  in  flank  road.  Span 
ish  artillery  opens.  Bullets  buzz— lasted  about  8  minutes. 
Then  silence.  3 : 50,  firing  to  northward  continues. 
Close— volleys.  Spanish  artillery.  3 : 58,  2  pieces  in 
northward  pit  and  2  pieces  in  eastward  pit.  Pause,  4 : 03. 
Rainbow  to  eastward— clearing.  4:11,  opens  to  north 
ward  again.  Movement.  Partridge.  Light  on  moun 
tains.  4 : 20,  opens  to  northward.  4 : 25,  ditto. 

4 : 35,  general  to  southeast  and  flank— artillery.    4  :45, 

274 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

rifle  reply  in  pit  to  northward.  General  silence.  Artil 
lery  desultory  firing  at  a  distance.  4 : 55,  rifle  reply  in  pit 
to  northward.  5,  ditto,  and  light  firing  in  flank  road. 
5  : 05,  transfer  of  100  infantrymen  to  northward.  Dead 
pig  and  smiling  soldier.  5  : 20,  horse  and  bullet.  6,  rifle- 
firing  in  pit  to  northward.  Echo  to  southward  and  east 
ward.  6 : 20,  ditto.  Spanish  artillery.  Silence.  Sharp 
shooters. 

9 : 45,  magnificent  assault. 

"  Flank  road,"  as  used  in  the  notes,  refers  to  the 
road  leading  out  to  San  Juan,  the  portion  that  runs 
very  nearly  eastward  making  the  southeast  flank 
before  turning.  "Flank"  used  by  itself  refers  to 
the  southeast  flank,  or  San  Juan  side.  The  fuerte 
is  the  blockhouse  where  the  road  forks. 

This  second  day's  fighting  puzzled  me  very  much. 
It  extended  virtually  all  the  way  around  from  the 
north  flank  to  the  southeast  flank,  and  seemed  to 
go  by  impulses,  some  of  them  violent,  but  all  of 
them  short.  The  use  of  smokeless  powder  made  it 
extremely  difficult  to  make  out  movements  unless 
they  were  very  pronounced,  as  in  the  first  day's  fight 
ing.  The  advance  down  upon  the  north  flank  was 
clear  enough,  as  many  of  our  troops  used  smoke 
powder ;  it  was  not,  in  fact,  until  this  advance  set 
in  that  the  artillery-pits  close  in  front  and  to  the 
north  first  showed  themselves  and  demonstrated 
their  excellent  combination  with  the  rifle-trenches, 
which  gave  out  well-executed  volleys.  This  move- 

275 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKIMAC" 

ment  stopped  with  the  completed  occupation  of  the 
ridge.  But  the  firing  along  the  eastward  and  south 
east  seemed  incomprehensible.  At  first  I  thought 
we  were  advancing  to  the  assault  of  the  inner 
trenches,  but  I  felt  we  would  not  be  so  scattering 
or  so  intermittent.  Afterward  I  learned  that  the 
movements  were  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Spanish 
to  dislodge  us  from  our  positions.  I  cannot  help 
believe,  however,  that  in  some  of  the  repulses  our 
troops  pursued  till  it  somewhat  resembled  an  as 
sault  on  the  inner  trenches,  for  the  firing  came  close 
at  hand  in  the  flank  road,  only  a  few  hundred  yards 
away.  Unfortunately,  a  row  of  houses  cut  off  my 
view  of  this  road. 

It  was  singularly  interesting,  just  after  the  ter 
rific  firing  in  the  sally  of  half-past  eleven,  to  hear 
a  mocking-bird  filling  the  interval  of  battle  with  its 
joyous  trills.  Along  in  the  afternoon  I  heard  quail 
calling,  as  usual,  in  the  meadow  between  the  posi 
tions  of  the  two  armies,  and  two  doves  flew  by, 
apparently  much  frightened.  In  the  very  midst  of 
the  firing,  a  little  calf  not  a  week  old  came  wander 
ing  along  the  road  all  alone,  stopping  here  and 
there,  and  looking  about  with  that  stupid,  awkward 
look  that  only  a  new-born  calf  has.  It  was  pathetic 
to  see  it,  unable  to  make  out  the  situation,  as  it 
finally  wandered  off  to  the  northeast,  heading 
straight  for  the  Spanish  trenches.  Later  I  saw  a 
soldier  coming  along  with  a  piece  of  pig  meat,  and 

276 


PEISON  LIFE -THE   SIEGE 

then  another,  beaming  with  smiles,  with  a  whole 
pig  under  his  arm. 

Though  the  day's  fighting  was  not  entirely  com 
prehensible,  it  left  me  in  a  condition  of  expectancy. 
This  was  particularly  the  impression  from  the  action 
on  the  north  flank,  where  our  troops  came  with  the 
thunder-storm.  The  moment  the  driving  rain 
cleared,  the  artillery  in  the  two  upper  pits  opened 
on  the  ridge  to  the  north  and  northeast.  But  it 
was  too  late.  A  force  of  our  daring  fellows  had 
arrived  and  had  come  down  to  the  slope  of  the  ridge 
with  the  storm,  and  the  moment  it  cleared  they 
opened  on  the  pits  and  trenches  at  short  range. 
Apparently  the  artillery  prevented  the  reinforcing 
of  this  detachment,  but  the  brave  fellows  remained. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  they  were  lying  down  on  their 
faces  in  the  gully  of  the  ravine,  and,  as  far  as  I 
could  see,  the  artillery  of  the  pits  under  fire  could 
not  be  depressed  enough  to  reach  them,  and  seemed 
to  depend  more  on  the  volley-firing  by  the  riflemen 
in  the -pits  and  flanking  trenches.  The  third  pit, 
the  one  just  in  front  of  my  window,  fired  over  the 
others,  trying  to  drop  on  them ;  but  the  fuses  of 
the  shell  in  this  pit  seemed  defective,  as  scarcely 
more  than  one  out  of  two  exploded.  It  was  most 
interesting  to  watch  their  firing,  all  the  details  of 
which  could  be  seen.  I  was  looking  intently  when 
a  bullet  cracked  in  the  masonry  just  under  my 
head,  and  a  horse  hitched  at  the  entrance  reared  and 

277 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERBIMAC" 

plunged.  One  of  our  men,  probably  a  sharp-shooter, 
had  seen  the  Spanish  officer  who  had  galloped  up  a 
few  moments  before,  and  not  getting  a  chance  at 
the  officer  before  he  dismounted  and  went  in,  prob 
ably  thought  he  would  take  a  shot  at  the  horse. 
During  the  firing  of  both  days,  bullets  would  come 
rather  thick  at  times,  particularly  in  the  firing  down 
toward  the  flank  road.  Some  would  buzz  as  they 
passed  over;  others  would  strike  the  side  of  the 
building  and  tear  out  little  lumps  of  masonry;  I 
thought  two  entered  the  window  above  mine.  It 
was  not  long  before  I  adopted  the  plan  of  using  my 
pillow  to  soften  the  floor,  and  stooping  down  so  as 
to  have  only  my  head  above  the  window-sill,  thus 
reducing  the  amount  of  exposure  without  losing  any 
of  the  view. 

When  darkness  finally  set  in,  and  our  men  had 
not  been  dislodged,  I  concluded  it  was  the  prelude 
to  a  general  assault— that  our  forces  on  the  east  and 
southeast  had  only  been  creating  a  diversion  while 
the  advance  was  coming  from  the  north,  and  that 
then  all  was  ready.  I  could  not  help  thinking, 
however,  of  the  trying  condition  the  men  must  be 
in  after  two  days'  fighting  and  the  drenching  rain ; 
for  the  Spanish  soldiers  who  came  in  were  utterly 
exhausted  and  forlorn,  pitiable  to  look  upon,  though 
most  of  their  work  had  been  only  defensive  from 
stationary  positions.  But  it  is  in  such  conditions 
that  superiority  tells. 

278 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

Soon  a  bright  light  of  large  proportions  shone 
from  the  mountain-side  behind  El  Caney,  then  an 
other,  and  I  took  them  to  be  general  signals,  and 
went  to  bed  with  the  full  expectation  of  witnessing 
an  assault  before  daybreak.  I  made  all  my  prepa 
rations  to  leave,  and  thought  over  the  best  method 
of  action,  when  our  troops  should  reach  the  barracks, 
for  the  care  of  infantry  or  cavalry,  as  the  case  might 
be.  I  had  been  asleep  only  a  short  while  when 
musketry  fire  set  in  on  the  south  flank,  and  the 
artillery  in  that  quarter  opened.  No  pause,  how 
ever,  followed  the  artillery  blasts,  as  in  the  day 
fighting,  and  the  musketry  fire  became  terrific.  I 
had  learned  to  distinguish  between  the  crack  of  our 
rifles  and  that  of  the  Spanish  rifles,  and  now  the 
two  were  all  together,  as  if  from  the  same  spot. 
Fire  opened  on  the  north  flank  too,  and  I  thought 
the  assault  was  general.  Soon  the  south-flank  fir 
ing  began  to  draw  nearer,  and  it  appeared  to  reach 
the  flank  road  itself,  when  machine-guns  began  to 
swish  their  showers,  and  a  supreme  effort  seemed 
to  come,  like  a  great  wave  of  firing.  The  machine- 
guns  stopped,  and  I  thought  we  had  entered  and 
were  crossing  the  flank  road,  and  had  taken  the 
machine-guns.  I  thought  the  clashing  sounds  in 
dicated  hand-to-hand  conflict.  The  Spanish  troops 
began  to  fall  back.  Many  stragglers  came  running 
toward  the  barracks,  individuals  and  squads  re 
treating  in  confusion,  and  soon  a  whole  company 
13  279 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKIMAC" 

came  back  and  sought  refuge  in  the  barracks.  The 
firing  continued  to  advance  from  the  flank,  and  fol 
lowed  up  the  line  of  the  inner  trenches.  The  pit  in 
front  of  my  window  belched  up,  it  seemed,  straight 
into  the  air.  The  moon  had  risen,  and  it  was  a 
glorious  sight.  Soon  the  firing  ceased,  except  on 
the  north  flank,  where,  to  my  surprise,  the  men  who 
had  come  down  the  slope  had  not  been  reinforced, 
and  the  firing  was  only  a  continuation  of  the  firing 
that  had  stopped  at  dark.  In  addition,  volley-firing 
out  to  the  eastward  continued  for  some  time  longer, 
as  though  one  set  of  trenches  had  not  been  broken. 
Still,  I  did  not  doubt  that  the  most  of  the  inner 
trenches  were  ours,  and  though  somewhat  surprised 
by  our  stopping,  I  thought  it  was  done  to  spare 
lives  that  might  be  lost  in  the  tumult  of  a  night 
occupation.  I  went  back  to  bed  with  the  full  ex 
pectation  of  seeing  our  troops  take  possession  in 
the  morning.  Twice  during  the  night  I  got  up  to 
see  two  pieces  of  artillery  being  transferred  to  the 
north  flank,  and  thought  it  rather  strange  that  our 
troops  in  the  captured  pits  and  trenches  took  no 
action  in  the  matter.  I  was  utterly  surprised  and 
disappointed  to  be  awakened,  on  the  morning  of  the 
3d,  by  musketry  fire  that  soon  showed  we  did  not 
hold  the  inner  works.  Even  the  men  who  had  come 
over  the  hill  on  the  north  flank  slowly  withdrew. 
"  Why  in  the  world,"  I  thought,  "  have  we  aban 
doned  the  results  of  such  magnificent  work  last 

280 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

night  ? "  This  was  one  of  the  first  questions  I  asked 
after  exchange,  and  I  could  scarcely  believe  that  it 
was  the  enemy  who  made  the  attack  in  a  sally  and 
were  repulsed.  I  am  sure  some  of  our  troops  must 
have  pursued  in  the  retreat.  The  Spanish  them 
selves  thought  so,  for,  just  after  the  retreat  of  the 
company  that  took  refuge  in  the  barracks,  an  officer 
galloped  back  from  the  melee,  and  came  into  my 
cell— a  major,  the  real  governor  of  the  barracks  (not 
the  major  whom  I  had  taken  for  the  governor),  who, 
indicating  the  firing,  said  it  looked  as  though  our 
army  had  taken  the  place.  He  asked  me,  with 
great  concern,  if  I  thought  our  troops  would  kill  the 
men  found  in  the  barracks.  He  proceeded  to  assure 
me  that  it  contained  wounded  and  other  prisoners, 
and  that  he  had  put  up  the  Red  Cross  flag,  and  had 
given  specific  orders  to  the  officer  of  the  day  to 
observe  the  regulations  governing  it.  He  sent  that 
officer  to  get  the  order,  and  he  read  it  to  me.  I 
assured  him  that  he  need  have  no  fear  provided  no 
resistance  were  shown,  that  I  had  only  to  suggest 
that  he  see  that  none  of  the  troops  inside  should 
appear  with  arms.  He  lingered  in  my  room,  and  I 
invited  him  to  join  me  in  the  interesting  observa 
tion  from  behind  the  window-sill,  as  I  did  not  wish 
to  miss  anything ;  and  it  was  at  that  moment  that 
the  pit  just  in  front  belched  up  into  the  air,  which 
I  took  to  indicate  its  capture.  The  major  withdrew 
with  the  understanding  that  the  first  American 

281 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

officer  or  petty  officer  to  arrive  would  be  sent  direct 
to  me.  He  did  not  come  back,  and  before  I  went 
to  sleep  the  refugees  in  the  barracks  went  out  again. 
It  was  with  disappointment  and  depression  that 
I  watched  the  movements  of  the  next  day,  July  3. 
My  notes  read  as  follows : 

5  : 20,  firing  middle  and  southern  pit  and  to  Ed— Sd  pit 
hot— volleys.  Silence,  5  : 30.  5 : 40,  again  Sd  pit.  Silence, 
5:45.  5:50,  middle  pit,  then  Sd  pit.  Machine-guns. 
Silence,  5  : 58.  Soldiers  cutting  corn  in  private  garden. 
6,  again  in  Ed  and  SEd  pits.  Silence,  6  : 07.  6  :10,  same. 
Silence,  6: 12.  6:18,  same.  Silence,  6  : 20.  Enemy's  cen 
tral  rifle-pits  were  not  assaulted.  6  :  37,  scattering— gen 
eral  about  5  minutes.  7,  quickened,  especially  toward 
flank— 2  shots  of  field-pieces  against  hillside— about  10 
minutes'  firing  out  to  S.  E.  7 :  35,  to  Nd  and  N.  E.— hot. 
Artillery  and  volleys  from  N.  E.  pit  cease,  7 : 53.  Again, 
7 :  55  till  7  : 59,  and  to  S.  E.  Field-pieces  went  out  down 
S.  E.  road.  Again  firing  8,  for  10  minutes.  8  : 12,  slight. 
8  : 15,  heavy  for  3  minutes  to  Nd.  8  : 22,  general  to  S.  E.,  3 
minutes.  Wounded  men  passing.  Shell  S.  E.  pit  fail 
often  to  explode.  8  : 35,  general  to  S.  E.  for  15  minutes. 
Silence,  8  : 55  to  9,  then  desultory  at  9  : 03,  9  : 05,  9  : 10,  and 
9 : 12.  Shots  from  field-pieces  on  flank  to  S.  E.  Soldier 
with  piece  of  hog  flesh.  The  bullet  from  Nd  came  great 
force.1  Partridges  to  Ed— good  schooling  for  next  sport- 

1  Soldiers  had  come  out  and  that  singed  the  horse,  and  look- 
were  picking  up  bullets  along  the  ing  close  in  front  of  the  window, 
road  and  sidewalk  that  had  hit  saw  it.  The  officer  of  the  day 
the  wall  and  dropped  or  bounded  kindly  sent  out  and  brought  it. 
back.  I  thought  of  the  bullet  Coming  obliquely,  the  nose  had 

282 


A,  Plaza :  cathedral  on  the  south 
side ;  governor's  palace  and 
municipal  building  on  the 
north  side. 

1,  Military  hospital. 

2,  Reina  Mercedes  barracks. 

3,  Conch  barracks. 

4,  Old  cemetery. 

5,  Plaza  de  Marte. 

(5,  Santa  Ana  Church. 

7,  Artillery     or     Dolores     bar 

racks. 

8,  Civil  hospital. 

9,  Fort  La  Pedrera. 


10,  Fort  St.  Ines. 

11,  Fort  Cuabitas. 

12,  Fort  San  Antonio. 

13,  Bull-ring. 

14,  Fort  Yarayo. 

15,  Slaughter-house. 

16,  Gas. 

17,  Fort  Gasometer. 

18,  Fort  Horno. 

19,  Fort  Centro  Benefico. 

20,  Fort  Las  Can  ad  as. 

21,  Fort  Beneficencio. 

22,  Fort  Santa  Ursula. 

23,  Fort  Canovar. 


24,  Trenches. 

25,  6  ij -inch  muzzle-loading  rifle. 

26,  5-inch  m.-l.  r. 

27,  Two  3%-inch  m.-L  r. 

28,  Trench. 

32,  6-inch    breech-loading   how 

itzer. 

33,  Two  3%-inch  m.-l.  r. 

34,  6-inch  m.-l.  r. 

35,  5-inch  m.-l.  r.  and  two  3-inch 

m.-l.  r. 

36,  Two  guns. 


MAP   OF   SANTIAGO,  SHOWING   POSITIONS    OF   TROOPS   ON   THE   LAST 
DAYS   OF   THE   SIEGE,    APPROXIMATELY  CORRECT   FOR  JUNE  6. 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

ing  season.  10,  vessels  firing.  10 : 25,  seemed  to  cease. 
10 : 25  to  10 : 30,  light  firing  to  N<*  and  to  S.  E.  10 : 30,  fir 
ing  out  to  E<1  died  down,  desultory,  and  ceased  toward  11. 
Afternoon.  Stillness.  Cart  with  provisions,  as  before. 
To  Ed  seem  to  be  burying  the  dead.  Appearance  of  cross. 
Cart  goes  out  with  rags,  bandages,  etc.,  some  with  blood 
on.  Overcast.  Continuous.  Forces  out  on  horizon  E. 
and  S.  E.  of  palms.  Growing— look  ominous.  Distant 
"  pops  "  about  3  : 50  to  the  N.  E.  To  S<*  of  palms  look  like 
cavalry— to  the  N<*  like  infantry.  Ours  look  dark— Span 
ish  light.  Cartful  of  rifles  goes  out.  Stretcher-men,  like 
firemen,  5,  5  : 30,  etc.  Thunder-storm  rolling  from  N.  E. 
Expectancy.  Manoeuvers  of  cavalry,  apparently  prepara 
tion  for  advance  with  rain.  Rain  begins  5  : 45.  Nothing 
[disappointment].  Mother  comes  to  inquire  about  her  son. 
Full  moon.  Some  firing  away  to  N.  E.,  as  though  troops 
moving.  Company  of  Spanish  traverse  to  Sd. 

Thus  passed  Sunday,  and  on  the  whole  the  day 
seemed  barren  of  incident.  I  did  not  know  that  it 
marked  an  event  of  the  first  magnitude  that  virtu 
ally  decided  the  issue  of  the  war.  When  the  firing 
from  the  vessels  began,  which  was  a  short  time  be 
fore  ten  o'clock  (my  entry  above  being  made  at  the 
time  when  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  firing 
was  from  vessels),  I  paid,  as  usual,  the  closest  atten 
tion,  and  soon  knew  that  it  was  changing  location. 
After  a  while  I  concluded,  with  all  the  sense  of  ill 

rebounded,  but  the  rear  had  ing  the  lead  inside.  I  put  it  with 
struck  with  great  force,  tearing  the  fragment  of  shell  that  came 
open  the  nickel  casing  and  spread-  to  my  door  in  Morro. 

284 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

luck  at  being  absent,  that  the  fleets  were  engaging ; 
but  when  in  about  twenty-five  minutes  the  firing 
ceased,  I  decided  it  could  not  be  the  fleets,  since,  on 
so  calm  a  day,  when  the  water  would  not  wash 
above  the  low  armor-belt,  it  would  be  impossible,  I 
estimated,  to  sink  the  Spanish  vessels  inside  of  two 
hours,  unless  they  should  come  at  once  to  close  quar 
ters  ;  in  fact,  I  considered  two  hours  and  a  half  a  small 
time  for  the  destruction  of  the  Colon,  and  finally  en 
tirely  put  aside  the  idea  that  the  fleets  had  engaged. 
No  one  suspected  that  we  should  be  able  to  set  upon 
the  Spanish  vessels,  in  the  element  of  fire,  an  enemy 
quicker  and  more  terrible  than  the  water  of  the  sea. 
Monday,  the  Fourth  of  July,  passed  uneventfully, 
but  with  a  deeper  meaning  as  I  thought  of  the  work 
of  liberation  in  which  my  country  was  engaged,  and 
her  mission  in  the  cause  of  freedom  and  humanity. 
My  notes  for  the  day  read : 

Fourth  of  July,  Monday.  Quiet,  clear.  7:30,  troops 
out  on  palm  plain— drilling?  Another  woman  to  ask 
about  her  son.  Work  on  palm  plain  seems  to  be  intrench 
ing.  Small  movements  of  troops.  Rain,  4 : 40.  Flag  of 
truce  about  5 : 10  P.  M.  Gathering  of  troops  at  fuerte. 
Heavy  smoke,  2  columns,  in  camp  to  N.  E.  Twilight. 
Transfer  of  troops  to  S<1.  About  11  p.  M.,  heavy  gun-firing. 
About  11:45  to  12:30,  continued  firing  at  intervals— 
apparently  siege-guns  and  blank  charges. 

I  inferred  that  the  flag  of  truce  that  went  out  was 
connected  with  a  purpose  to  bombard  the  place,  and 

285 


THE   SINKING  OF   THE   "MERRIMAC" 

when  the  guns  opened  about  midnight,  apparently 
with  blank  charges,  I  concluded  that  it  was  a  warn 
ing  for  non-combatants  to  withdraw  within  a  given 
time.  Sure  enough,  when  I  looked  out  at  daybreak, 
a  vast  train  stretched  far  out  across  to  our  lines. 
Nothing  ever  appealed  to  me  more.  Then  I  saw  in 
all  its  force  that  cruel  side  of  war,  the  suffering 
inflicted  on  the  non-combatants— women,  children, 
old  men,  invalids,  almost  all  afoot,  struggling  to 
take  along  some  needed  article.  Not  till  later  did 
I  see  that  other,  most  remarkable  of  all  sights,  the 
feeding  of  this  population  by  our  army,  when  the 
conditions  for  its  own  food-supply  were  of  the  most 
difficult.  When,  in  all  the  history  of  the  world,  has 
a  besieging  army  ever  before  relieved  a  beleaguered 
city  of  its  hunger,— one  of  the  strongest  factors  in 
a  siege, — taking  upon  itself  in  a  distant  and  invaded 
land  the  burden  of  relief !  War  is  harsh,  and  must 
remain  harsh ;  the  righting  of  wrong  will  always  en 
tail  harshness:  but  we  have  surely  turned  a  new 
page  in  the  methods  of  warfare. 

An  incident  occurred  in  connection  with  the  flight 
that  stirred  the  very  depths  of  my  heart.  The  ser 
geant  of  the  guard  was  married,  and  instead  of 
receiving  his  ration  cooked  he  apparently  drew  it 
uncooked,  for  his  wife  brought  his  meals.  When 
she  came  with  his  breakfast  that  morning,  he  met 
her  in  front  of  my  window,  and  nodding  over  to 
those  withdrawing,  told  her  it  would  be  well  for 

286 


PRISON  LIFE-TTiE  SIEGE 

her  to  leave  without  much  longer  delay,  giving 
some  directions  as  to  taking  care  of  herself.  She 
looked  at  him  earnestly.  The  warning  guns  had 
shaken  the  whole  city  to  its  foundation.  "  No,"  said 
she ;  "  I  shall  come  and  remain  here  and  die  with 
you."  Since  the  world  began,  I  thought,  it  has 
always  been  thus.  Man  may  be  devoted,  man  may 
have  courage,  but  what  are  his  devotion  and  cour 
age  to  the  devotion  and  courage  of  woman ! 
My  notes  for  the  5th— the  last  I  made— read: 

Daybreak.  Flight  of  non-combatants  to  eastward. 
Vast  trains.  Sergeant's  wife  wishes  to  remain  and  die 
with  husband.  Soldiers  tearing  down  fences  and  out 
houses  j  officers'  effects  being  hauled  to  barracks.  Squad 
at  fuerte  with  Red  Cross  flag.  Bequest  for  binoculars 
and  to  go  to  place  to  see  bombardment. 

The  request  for  binoculars  was  made  in  the 
morning,  after  it  became  certain  from  the  flight  of 
the  non-combatants  that  bombardment  was  at  hand. 
From  my  window  the  warning  guns  could  not  be 
seen ;  they  sounded  as  though  from  the  south  flank. 
Up  to  this  time  I  had  seen  all  the  artillery,  and 
knew  the  location  of  all  pieces  mounted  on  the  inner 
works,  and  I  was  anxious  not  to  miss  any  of  the 
bombardment.  In  the  previous  fighting  it  had  been 
very  difficult  to  see  the  troops  with  the  naked  eye, 
and  I  had  followed  their  movements  principally  by 
ear.  It  seemed  rather  a  bold  request,  but  I  finally 

287 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

decided  to  make  it,  and  wrote  to  General  Linares 
asking  if  he  would  allow  my  position  to  be  changed 
to  one  commanding  the  view  of  the  artillery  that 
would  make  the  approaching  bombardment,  and 
added  a  request  that  he  would  do  me  the  personal 
favor  to  return  the  binocular  glasses  which  I  had 
surrendered  when  captured.  In  the  afternoon 
Major  Yrles,  General  Linares's  chief  of  staff,  came 
on  an  official  visit,  to  ask  on  the  part  of  the  general 
if  I  would  not  accept  compensation  for  the  glasses. 
I  replied,  By  no  means ;  that  they  were  a  perfectly 
legitimate  capture  as  part  of  my  military  equip 
ment,  and  that  I  had  ventured  the  request  only  as 
a  personal  favor.  "  The  truth  is,"  continued  the 
major,  "the  general  has  not  been  able  to  get  the 
glasses," — I  looked  surprised, — "for  you  remember 
you  were  captured  by  the  navy,  and  the  glasses 
were  taken  by  the  navy,  and  the  general  does  not 
know  if  they  have  been  lost  or  not.  As  to  the  other 
part  of  your  request,  to  be  allowed  to  take  a  posi 
tion  to  observe  the  firing,  it  will  doubtless  be  settled 
by  negotiations  now  pending  looking  to  your  ex 
change."  I  made  no  remarks,  and  the  conversation 
turned  upon  other  subjects  till  he  left,  saying  that 
he  intended  to  visit  my  men.  His  information 
produced  mixed  emotions.  The  thought  of  ex 
change  was  gratifying,  and  I  should  be  able  to  tell 
our  general  (I  was  in  ignorance  of  the  name  of  the 
general  to  whom  our  operations  had  been  intrusted) 

288 


PBISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

about  the  inner  works ;  but  was  it  too  late  for  work 
with  the  fleet !  "  My  glasses  were  in  the  possession 
of  the  navy,"  I  thought,  "  and  General  Linares  does 
not  know  whether  they  have  been  lost  or  not ! "  It 
flashed  upon  me  that  the  Spanish  ships  had  left  the 
harbor,  and  that  the  firing  on  Sunday  had  been  be 
tween  the  fleets.  I  felt  there  could  be  only  one 
result,  but  was  in  no  wise  prepared  for  the  news  of 
the  marvelous  victory  which  I  received  after  reach 
ing  our  lines. 

As  to  the  glasses:  two  months  later,  while  we 
were  working  on  the  Teresa,  they  were  found  ahead 
of  her  bow  between  the  vessel  and  the  shore,  by  the 
merest  accident.  I  was  passing  around  the  bow  in 
a  surf -boat  on  an  unusually  calm  day,  and  the  man 
at  the  steering-oar  saw  an  object  on  the  bottom  in 
about  twelve  feet  of  water.  Our  curiosity  was 
excited.  A  diver  went  down,  and  I  was  utterly 
surprised  to  find  that  it  was  my  own  excellent  new 
glasses,  that  had  been  "  expended "  from  the  New 
York  for  use  in  the  Merrimac  manoauver.  As  Cap 
tain  Bustaniante  was  not  aboard  the  Teresa  in  the 
fight,  it  must  have  been  either  Admiral  Cervera  or 
his  son  who  kept  them,  and  discarded  them  before 
swimming  ashore. 

It  was  during  this  visit  of  Major  Yrles  that  I 
learned  that  Captain  Bustaniante  had  been  griev 
ously  wounded  in  the  groin,  while  gallantly  com 
manding  the  naval  battalion  ashore  in  the  battle  of 

289 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKRIMAC" 

the  1st.  Just  before  going  North  on  the  17th,  I 
heard  again  that  he  was  very  low.  Three  weeks 
later  I  learned  from  Admiral  Cervera,  at  Annapolis, 
that  he  was  dead.  The  admiral  spoke  of  him  in  the 
tenderest  terms,  and  looked  out  of  the  window 
meditatively,  as  if  seeing  distant  scenes  with  Bus- 
tamante.  His  voice  had  a  tremor  of  emotion,  and 
I  thought  I  detected  the  glisten  of  tears.  I  closed 
my  own  teeth  hard,  for  a  leaden  feeling  gathered  in 
my  chest,  as  when  Mr.  Eamsden  had  told  me  of 
Acosta's  death.  Captain  Bustamante  had  climbed 
Morro  hill  three  times  to  see  me,  and  had  been  most 
kind,  cordial,  and  considerate.  I  saw  in  him  a  fine 
type  of  the  gallant  and  accomplished  officer  and 
charming  gentleman. 

When  Major  Yrles  left,  I  asked  for  paper,  and 
wrote  parting  letters  of  acknowledgment  to  Mr. 
Ramsden  (whom  there  was  no  chance  of  seeing,  as 
he  had  gone  to  El  Caney),  to  General  Linares,  Gen 
eral  Toral,  and  the  governor  of  the  barracks,  and 
made  the  few  preparations  necessary  for  leaving. 
The  major  called  again  next  morning,  to  ask 
whether  I  preferred  a  carriage  or  a  horse,— the 
latter  was  my  choice,— saying  that  we  should  leave 
probably  in  the  early  afternoon.  The  surgeon  came 
for  a  perfunctory  visit  to  make  sure  that  I  was  well. 
The  attendant  served  luncheon,  the  last  meal,  with 
a  face  long  and  glum,  saying,  "  It  is  terrible  in  the 
hospital."  The  faces  of  all  seemed  more  gloomy 

290 


PEISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

than  usual.  I  understood  afterward  that  the  news 
of  the  destruction  of  the  fleet  had  been  passed 
about.  I  could  see  the  look  of  hopelessness— the 
feeling  of  being  sacrificed  without  any  possible  re 
sult.  The  sergeant  still  looked  resolute. 

There  was  a  pair  of  leggings  in  my  box,  and  I 
had  them  on  and  was  ready  when  Major  Yrles  came 
in,  about  one  o'clock,  followed  by  my  men  and  a 
guard.  The  men  stopped  and  lined  up  in  the  guard 
room.  I  came  out  and  greeted  them.  The  bright, 
buoyant  look  of  regained  freedom  was  in  their  eyes. 
Major  Yrles  asked  in  a  formal  way  if  I  was  well  and 
was  content  with  the  treatment  received.  I  replied 
in  the  affirmative,  and  he  asked  if  I  would  ask  the 
same  question  of  my  men.  They  all  answered  in 
the  same  way.  The  sergeant  brought  forward  a 
pack  of  silk  handkerchiefs,  neatly  folded.  The 
major,  with  words  of  apology  for  the  necessity, 
blindfolded  me,  and  the  sergeant  and  the  corporal 
blindfolded  the  men.  The  major  guided  me  out  of 
the  entrance,  giving  careful  warning  of  the  uneven 
places,  and  a  soldier  guided  each  man,  with  a  guard 
bringing  up  the  rear.  I  mounted  the  horse,  after 
feeling  over  him  a  little  to  make  him  out,  and  a 
soldier  led  him  by  the  bit.  The  major  and  several 
other  officers  mounted  and  led  the  way,  a  soldier 
going  ahead  with  a  white  flag,  and  we  started  off 
at  a  slow  walk,  rather  a  singular  cavalcade. 

It  seemed  a  little  tame,  and  I  was  disappointed 
291 


i  n 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC 

at  being  blindfolded;  but  I  kept  the  bearing  and 
knew  just  where  we  were  for  some  time,  for  the 
handkerchief,  raised  up  by  my  nose,  permitted  me 
to  see  straight  down,  and  I  had  been  studying  the 
topography  for  weeks.  As  we  crossed  the  trenches 
I  had  a  good  view  of  the  ingenious  way  in  which 
they  had  placed  trees,  limbs,  etc.,  for  barriers ;  but 
the  most  striking  feature  was  the  vast  abundance 
of  ammunition,  all  ready  for  the  magazine-guns, 
piled  up  high  every  five  or  six  yards  along  the  rear 
bank.  After  exhausting  the  supply  in  their  belts, 
the  soldiers  had  only  to  turn  to  an  almost  inex 
haustible  supply.  We  had  scarcely  gone  four  hun 
dred  yards  when  we  came  upon  the  carcass  of  a 
dead  horse,  and  a  little  farther  on  another,  and 
another.  Apparently  the  Spaniards  had  made  no 
effort  to  remove  or  bury  even  those  in  the  road, 
while  the  number  was  far  beyond  the  capacity  of 
the  vast  flock  of  vultures  that  swarmed  on  the 
battle-field.  It  was  an  initiation  into  the  gruesome 
side  of  battle,  as  I  felt  that  in  the  high  grass  in  both 
directions  there  were  doubtless  many  unrecovered 
corpses,  each  with  its  particular  tale  of  death- 
agony. 

We  must  have  proceeded  a  half-mile  or  more 
when  the  major  said  we  might  remove  the  hand 
kerchiefs.  We  were  between  the  lines.  Ahead  on 
the  ridge  were  our  troops,  the  tops  of  the  ridges 
dark  with  them.  We  turned  out  and  dismounted, 

292 


PEISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

while  the  white  flag  continued  on  down  the  road. 
We  waited  some  time  for  its  return.  It  was  a  fine, 
wild,  rugged  country.  My  heart  leaped  as  I  looked 
over  it.  The  ridge,  across  the  ravine  just  in  front, 
was  steep,  and  I  thought,  looking  up  at  our  fine 
fellows,  almost  within  hail,  that,  intrenched  in  that 
position,  nothing  could  dislodge  them.  The  major 
introduced  the  other  officers,  and  we  chatted. 
Soldiers  held  the  horses  while  they  grazed.  Fi 
nally  word  was  brought  that  the  other  party  was 
waiting  for  us  a  short  distance  off.  We  got  under 
wray  again,  the  major  and  I  spurring  on  ahead. 
Turning  through  an  opening  in  the  hedge  on  the 
side  of  the  wood,  there  before  us,  under  a  majestic 
ceiba-tree,  stood  two  American  officers  with  Span 
ish  prisoners— three  officers  and  a  group  of  privates. 
We  passed  close  at  hand  the  squad  that  came  as 
escort— magnificent-looking  fellows !  I  saw  at  once 
that  we  had  recruited  from  the  very  best  manhood 
of  the  country,  and  all  along,  in  my  subsequent 
ride,  marveled  to  see  men  with  muskets  whose  faces 
spoke  indubitably  of  the  higher  walks  of  life.  But 
it  was  not  until  my  subsequent  mission  to  the  front, 
when  privation  and  hardship  were  at  their  worst, 
that  I  came  to  appreciate  fully  the  depth  of  their 
patriotism. 

The  two  officers,  who  proved  to  be  Lieutenant 
Miley  and  Lieutenant  Noble,  aides  of  General 
Shafter,  came  forward  with  a  hearty  greeting.  I 

295 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERKIMAC" 

introduced  them  to  Major  Yrles,  and  some  pleasant 
words  were  spoken  on  both  sides  before  the  articles 
of  exchange  were  drawn  up,  which  was  done  by  the 
official  interpreter  of  General  Shafter,  under  the 
direction  of  Lieutenant  Miley  and  Major  Yrles. 
The  articles  were  drafted  in  both  Spanish  and 
English,  and  during  their  preparation  I  plied  Lieu 
tenant  Noble  with  questions  as  to  the  operations 
that  had  taken  place,  and  it  was  only  then  that  I 
learned  of  the  naval  victory  of  July  3  and  heard 
that  General  Shafter  was  in  command  of  our  forces. 
The  two  parties  made  an  interesting  group  under 
this  great  ceiba-tree.  Vultures  were  perched  here 
and  there  on  the  branches,  and  sat  motionless, 
seemingly  looking  with  indifference  upon  this  insig 
nificant  incident,  sure  of  their  due,  whoever  should 
win.  What  was  most  striking,  however,  was  the 
contrast  between  the  Spaniards  and  the  Americans, 
whether  officers  or  men.  There  was  a  wide  dis 
crepancy  in  stature  and  build,  and  a  still  wider 
difference  in  looks  and  general  appearance.  Three 
Spanish  lieutenants  had  been  brought,  and  Major 
Yrles  was  requested  to  make  his  choice,  which  he 
did,  having,  in  effect,  instructions  from  General 
Toral  to  select  a  particular  one.  Lieutenant  Miley 
told  me  afterward  that  he  had  brought  all  three  to 
give  in  exchange,  but  as  he  found  that  the  Span 
iards  were  disposed  to  ask  for  only  one,  the  single 
exchange  was  effected.  This  Spanish  lieutenant  was 

296 


THE   SURRENDER-TREE,   FROM  THE  SPANISH  LINES. 
IN   THE   DISTANCE. 


SAN  JUAN  HILL 


C'eiba-tree  near  San  Jnan  road,  under  which  the  Merrimac  prisoners 

were  exchanged  and  the  articles  of  surrender  of  Santiago 

prepared  and  signed. 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

wounded  in  the  upper  arm  or  shoulder,  and  had  on 
the  same  uniform  in  which  he  had  bled.  The  men 
who  were  to  be  exchanged  seemed  much  downcast. 
Apparently  there  was  no  vision  of  a  happy  return 
in  their  minds.  Doubtless  what  they  had  seen  of 
our  strength  and  morale  had  convinced  them  that 
their  fight  was  hopeless.  In  fact,  I  was  informed 
that,  excepting  the  one  wounded  lieutenant  who 
was  selected,  they  preferred  to  remain  with  us.  It 
was  impossible  not  to  feel  sympathy  for  these  men 
in  their  dejection.  The  evidences  of  meager  fare 
and  hard  service  were  plainly  visible  on  their  faces 
and  through  their  dilapidated  clothing,  for,  like  all 
the  Spanish  rank  and  file,  they  wore  no  undercloth 
ing,  but  simply  a  calico  or  cotton  suit.  Their  feel 
ing  was  in  great  contrast  to  that  of  our  men,  who 
were  on  the  tiptop  of  exultation,  with  beaming 
faces. 

The  articles,  when  drawn  up,  were  signed  by 
Lieutenant  Miley  and  Major  Yrles,  and  good-bys 
were  said.  The  arrangement  was  concluded  at 
about  four  o'clock,  and  it  was  agreed  that  the  truce 
should  end  an  hour  later.  An  ambulance  had  come 
out  to  take  our  men,  and  I  now  exchanged  horses 
with  the  Spanish  lieutenant. 

We  started  up  the  road,  the  two  lieutenants  and 

myself  abreast.     Ahead  of  us  a  vast  throng  of 

soldiers  stood  in  the  road  and  along  both  sides  of 

it.     A  band  started  up  a  national  air,  then  "  When 

"  299 


THE    SINKING  OF  THE   "MEKKIMAC" 

Johnny  comes  marching  home,"  and  a  great  hurrah 
went  up  such  as  we  had  never  heard  before.  Such 
a  welcome !  It  made  our  hearts  thrill.  We  saw 
that  we  had  not  been  forgotten,  and  felt  as  though 
we  owed  an  apology  for  ever  having  entertained 
such  an  idea.  The  generous  fellows  pressed  upon 
one  another  to  greet  us  with  hearty  smiles  and  kind 
words.  We  had  scarcely  passed  through  the  first 
press  of  men  when,  turning  to  the  right,  we  stopped 
and  dismounted,  and  started  for  a  little  fly- tent  just 
under  a  hill.  A  white-haired  officer  came  forward 
with  a  greeting  that  could  not  have  been  kinder  had 
it  been  to  his  own  son.  It  was  General  Joseph 
Wheeler.  He  asked  me  into  his  tent,  which  lay 
virtually  under  our  trenches,  astonishingly  simple 
and  unassuming,  a  small  cot  to  sleep  on,  and  a  box, 
not  even  a  camp-stool,  to  sit  on.  His  son,  Joseph 
Wheeler,  Jr.,  came  up  to  greet  rne.  I  had  known 
him  as  a  young  artillery  lieutenant  at  Fort  Monroe, 
and  was  not  surprised  to  find  him  on  his  father's 
staff.  I  soon  found  that  the  younger  brother,  an 
undergraduate  at  the  Naval  Academy,  was  on  the 
Columbia,  off  Siboney,  and  learned  also  that  the 
general's  daughter  was  there  with  the  sick  and 
wounded.  It  was  a  remarkable  picture  of  devotion, 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  history.  This  gen 
eral,  who  with  so  much  gallantry  had  led  Confed 
erate  cavalry,  was  now  in  the  front  rank  of  the 
Union  forces,  and  with  him  almost  his  entire 

300 


RECEPTION   OP   MR.   HOBSON   AND    THE   CREW   OF   THE    "  MERRIMAC " 
BY  AMERICAN   SOLDIERS    IN    FRONT    OF    SANTIAGO. 


PEISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

family,  all  in  trying  positions,  and  braving  the 
worst  hardships.  I  had  felt  all  the  time  that  there 
was  in  the  Southern  heart  nothing  but  the  truest 
loyalty ;  the  occasion  for  proof  had  at  last  come,  the 
fulfilment  of  a  long-felt  desire,  and  henceforth  the 
fact  must  be  recognized  by  all  parts  of  the  country. 

We  started  on,  Colonel  Astor  joining  us,  and 
proceeded  to  General  Shaf  ter's  headquarters,  two  or 
three  miles  farther  back,  receiving  the  same  hearty 
welcome  all  the  way.  It  was  indeed  touching  to 
see  the  kindly  manifestations  of  the  soldiers  during 
this  greeting.  Some  would  have  words  and  ex 
pressions  ;  others  would  ask  to  shake  hands ;  many 
would  say,  "  I  belong  to  such  and  such  a  regiment." 

As  we  passed  along,  Lieutenant  Miley  told  me  of 
the  heavy  fighting  that  had  been  done  at  El  Caney 
and  San  Juan,  as  seen  from  our  side,  and  pointed 
out  the  positions  where  our  losses  had  been  heaviest. 
The  devotion  and  heroism  there  displayed  came 
home  to  me  deeply  as  I  saw  a  succession  of  graves 
along  the  roadside.  Officer  after  officer,  as  we 
passed  along,  came  up  to  give  a  hearty  hand-shake. 
Not  far  on  we  met  Captain  Chadwick  and  Lieuten 
ant  Staunton  of  the  New  York,  on  horseback,  on 
their  way  to  the  front.  They  gave  us,  if  possible, 
even  greater  cordiality  of  greeting.  Captain  Chad- 
wick  was  accompanied  by  Captain  Paget  of  the 
British  navy,  whose  pleasure  seemed  almost  as 
great  as  that  of  our  countrymen. 

303 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

We  finally  reached  General  Shafter's  headquar 
ters,  and  found  him  seated  under  a  tree.  After 
saluting,  I  told  the  general  that  I  had  extensive 
information  of  the  enemy's  positions  and  force,  and 
proceeded  to  tell  him  about  the  inner  trenches  and 
their  strength  on  the  north  and  east  sides. 

The  Spanish  fleet  having  been  disposed  of,  the 
increased  advantage  of  taking  the  city  by  vessels 
and,  in  general,  of  advancing  from  the  south  and 
weaker  side  had  become  more  and  more  impressed 
upon  me,  and  I  ventured  to  suggest  to  General 
Shafter  the  advisability  of  refraining  from  assault 
on  the  stronger  side  and  of  advancing  from  the 
southern  side  after  the  army  had  reduced  the  bat 
teries  at  the  entrance,  so  that  the  mines  could  be 
raised  and  the  vessels  come  in  for  cooperation. 
My  words,  however,  seemed  to  make  but  little  im 
pression  on  the  general,  and  I  concluded  that  it 
would  be  best  to  urge  the  matter  through  the 
admiral. 

The  ambulance  with  the  men  came  up  just  before 
we  left,  and  I  directed  them  to  come  out,  line  up, 
and  salute  the  general.  Lieutenant  Miley  and 
Lieutenant  Noble  remained  at  headquarters,  but 
Colonel  Astor  continued  with  me  to  Siboney.  We 
rode  at  some  speed  to  make  the  landing  before 
dark,  and  the  ride  was  most  delightful.  We  fol 
lowed  near  the  base  of  the  mountains.  They  no 
longer  had  the  veil  of  mystery  worn  at  a  distance, 

304 


PRISON  LIFE-THE  SIEGE 

but  their  ruggedness  was  in  full  view.  The  tropi 
cal  vegetation  was  magnificent,  particularly  along 
the  streams.  After  the  long  confinement  the  vigor 
ous  riding  through  this  picturesque  country,  under 
such  conditions,  was  exhilarating  in  the  extreme. 

We  arrived  at  Siboney  just  before  dark.  Round 
ing  a  bluff,  I  saw  the  sea  spread  out,  animated  with 
transports  and  vessels  of  all  descriptions.  Colonel 
Astor  had  despatches  to  General  Duffield,  and  I 
went  with  him  to  the  general's  headquarters.  We 
were  scarcely  able  to  make  our  way  because  of  the 
press  of  soldiers  who  came  up  with  greetings  and 
cheers.  Having  completed  his  mission,  the  colonel 
was  free,  and  went  off  with  me  to  the  New  York. 
We  went  in  a  boat  from  the  Harvard,  the  midship 
man  in  charge  kindly  offering  its  service.  The  am 
bulance  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  word  had  been  left 
that  the  steam-launch  would  come  in  for  the  men. 

By  the  time  we  reached  the  flagship,  darkness 
had  set  in,  and  there  was  supreme  silence  on  board 
as  the  boat  pulled  alongside.  What  was  my  sur 
prise,  on  reaching  the  deck,  to  find  the  whole  ship's 
company  and  all  the  officers  assembled  aft !  The 
men  covered  the  superstructure  and  the  bridge  and 
the  top  of  the  turret  arid  every  conceivable  point 
close  by  the  sea-steps,  and  the  officers,  who  were 
standing  on  the  quarter-deck,  pressed  about  me. 
Three  cheers  went  up,  and  my  heart  leaped.  Every 
thing  looked  so  natural,  and  the  faces  were  so  full 

305 


THE   SINKING  OF  THE   "MERRIMAC" 

of  kindness ;  there  was  a  feeling  as  of  the  home 
coming  of  one  long  absent.  To  be  with  them  once 
more  was  a  supreme  happiness  to  me.  I  inquired 
for  the  admiral ;  they  told  me  he  was  ill  in  bed,  but 
had  sent  word  for  me  to  come  down  to  see  him  in 
his  cabin.  As  soon  as  the  hand-shaking  was  over 
on  deck  and  I  had  introduced  Colonel  Astor  to  the 
officers,  I  went  down  to  the  admiral's  cabin,  where 
I  found  him  in  bed.  He  gave  me  the  kindest  wel 
come — a  welcome  that  was  like  the  parting  in  its 
nature,  with  few  words,  but  those  few  meaning 
volumes.  The  admiral  asked  in  general  terms 
about  the  incident  of  the  Merrimac,  and  I  told  him 
briefly  all  there  was  to  say.  I  reported  myself  as 
ready  for  duty,  and  spoke  of  the  magnificent  con 
duct  of  my  men,  their  absolute  discipline  in  the 
face  of  trying  conditions,  and  their  excellent  deport 
ment  during  imprisonment.  Without  waiting  for 
the  question  of  a  written  report,  I  recommended 
that  measures  be  taken  to  recognize  the  men's  con 
duct,  and  that  they  be  relieved  from  duty  for  the 
present  until  their  strength  could  be  restored.  The 
admiral  replied  that  this  had  been  attended  to ;  that 
every  man  had  already  been  promoted  in  the  high 
est  degree  practicable,  and  that  their  promotions 
were  waiting  to  be  delivered,  adding  that  the  great 
est  care  would  be  taken  of  their  health;  and  he 
added,  "  There  is  a  letter  for  you."  It  was  an  ap 
preciative  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

306 


vJ 


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